590 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 57. 



often provided with retinaculum, and the subulate mandibles, which 

 are awl-shaped, curved, without retinaculum and often perforated. 

 Both the labidomorphic and the subulate mandibles are rather char- 

 acteristic for the Cleroidea, but do also occur in several families not 

 belonging to this series; for instance: The Adephaga, the above 

 mentioned small Staphylinids, large Silphids, the Rhysodidae, the 

 Cioidae, the Lyctidae and Ptinidae, some Chrysomelidae, as the 

 Donaciini, and some of the Melandryidae. The character separates 

 the Cleroidea from the larvae with palmate^ mandibles, as in most 

 Chrysomelidae, with coelate, gouge shaped ^ mandibles, as in the Cer- 

 ambycini, and especially from all larvae with masticomorphic, 

 grinding, mola bearing mandibles. This last, important mandible 

 type is developed in many families which, according to the adults, 

 always have been closely associated with one or another of the 

 Cleroid families, but, according to several larval structures, must be 

 considered to have less affinity with these families than generally 

 supposed; for instance, the Cucujidae, Cryptophagidae, Byturidae, 

 Mycetophagidae, and Coccinellidae, all of which usually are placed 

 near the Trogositidae or the Dermestidae, also the Derodontidae, by 

 D. Sharp, and other authors suggested to belong near the Cleridae, 

 some Dascillid genera as Dascillus, and the Cyphonidae, often 

 arranged near the Parnidae, between the Elateridae and Malacoder- 

 midae. Masticomorphic or grinding mandibles are furthermore 

 present in a great manj^ families, which do not exhibit any close re- 

 lationship to the Cleroidea, neither as adults nor as larvae; for in- 

 stance, the very miiform series of small, closely related forms of the 

 galea-bearing C'holeva, Limnehius, Hyd7'oscap?ia, THchopteryx types 

 or most of the Heteromera or all the Lamellicornia. 



4. BODY ORTHOSOMATIC, STHAIGHT WITH DORSAL AND VENTRAL SURFACE EQUALLY LONG OK 



NEARLY so; OR BODY CYPHOSOMATIC, WITH THE WHOLE DORSAL SURFACE FORMING A 

 HDMP. INTERSEGMENTAL MEMBRANES PRESENT. TENTH ABDOMINAL SEGMENT USUALLY 

 DEVELOPED AS A LOCOMOTORY ORGAN, EXTENDING FROM THE VENTRAL SIDE OF THE 

 NINTH ABDOMINAL SEGMENT. 



This character separates the Cleroidea from the cyrtosomatic, 

 curved larvae, as those of the Bostrichidae, Ptinidae, Donaciini, most 

 Rhynchophora, and the Lamellicornia. 



5. NO THORNBEARING DORSAL PLATES. 



Such structures characterize many different species and genera, 

 even larger groups of several families not included in the Cleroidea, 

 but do hardly occur in this series. 



> Palmate and coelate mandibles are anteriorly broad, with a definite front edge, on the 

 inner side excavate, posteriorly without mola. In the palmate mandibles the front edge 

 is multidentate ; in the coelate mandible.s smooth. 



