288 FAMILY IX. — ARADID^. 



to revive and become active again when the halcyon days of 

 spring roll round once more. They then evidently fly in search 

 of a mate or a new home, as on several occasions I have taken 

 them by sweeping woodland herbage during April and May. 

 Their food is supposed to be the minute fungi and molds which 

 grow between the bark and the wood of those trees and stumps 

 in which there is yet enough sap to promote the growth of such 

 vegetation. 



About 300 species of the family are known from all parts of 

 the world. Of these Van Duzee (1917) lists 59 from North 

 America, and a dozen or more have since been described. The 

 most available literature treating of our eastern forms is by 

 Say, 1832; Uhler, 1871, 1878; Stal, 1873; Bergroth, 1892, 1906, 

 1913; Heidemann, 1901, 1904; Osborn, 1903; Parshley, 1921. 

 The family name Aradidse is derived from that of the typical 

 genus, Aradus Fab., founded in 1803 and named after an ancient 

 city of Syria. The family is subdivided by recent writers into 

 three subfamilies, two of which are represented in North 

 America and our territory, the other, Isodermina, in Chile, Pata- 

 gonia and Tasmania. 



KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SUBFAMILIES OF ARADID.E. 



a. Prosternum with a distinct median sulcus; beak (except in A. 

 niger) reaching onto or surpassing the prosternum; head nar- 

 rowed behind the eyes, the latter projecting beyond the cheeks; 

 elytra not confined within the boundaries of the disk of abdomen; 

 trochanters connate with the femora; abdominal spiracles placed 

 near the basal margin of each segment 



Subfamily I. Aradin^e, p. 288. 

 ««. Prosternum without a sulcus; beak not passing hind margin of 

 head; head wider just behind eyes than in front of them, the 

 eyes not projecting; elytra confined within the boundaries of disk 

 of abdomen: trochanters free; spiracles placed at equal distances 

 from basal and apical margins of segments. 



Subfamily II. Mezirin^e, p. 316. 



Subfamily I. ARADIN^ Amyot & Serville, 1843, 306. 



This subfamily, distinguished mainly by the characters giv- 

 en above, comprises only the single genus. 



I. Aradus, Fabricius, 1803, 116. 



Species of medium or small size and rough or granulate upper 

 surface having the antenniferous tubercles prolonged in a spine 

 and often toothed on outer side ; eyes strongly projecting; beak, 



