222 The Orders of Insects 



being soft-skinned. The family is generally distributed, but the 

 species are more plentiful in temperate regions tlian in the tropics. 



Pythidae. — The Pythid^ are a small family, agreeing with the 

 Melandryidx in most structural features, but distinguished by the 

 heart-shaped or oval pronotum, which is narrower than the elytra 

 at its hinder edge. These beetles live under bark and in dead 

 wood ; they are widely distributed over the northern continents, 

 but are scarce in the tropics. 



CEdemeridae. — The QLdcmerida: are a rather large family agreeing 

 with the Melandryids in most points, but distinguished by the long 

 conical front haunches. The feelers are long and threadlike. The 

 last segment but one of each foot is bilobed, and the thighs of the 

 males are often very thick. The beetles are often brightly coloured 

 and occur on flowers; they are widely distributed, but seem 

 commoner in temperate regions than in the tropics. The larvje 

 are long and narrow with the head usually rather broad. 



Pyrochroidae.— The Pyrochroida are a small family of beetles 

 usually bright red in colour, and characterised by the head, which 

 is carried projecting in a horizontal position, being very strongly 

 narrowed behind the eyes, and the eleven-segmented feelers being 

 markedly serrate or pectinate (fig. 6 e). The thorax is narrower than 

 the elytra. The front haunches are long and conical, their cavities 

 broadly open behind. The legs are long ; the number of tarsal 

 segments as in the six preceding families, the last segment but 

 one being bilobed and the claws simple. The larvs are long and 

 narrow with broad head and stout legs ; only the thorax and last 

 abdominal segment (which bears two strong spines) are hard- 

 skinned. The few species of this family are almost confined to 

 the northern continents. 



Mordellidae. — The MordelUda are distinguished from the Pyro- 

 chroidae by their small, globular, front haunches, and thread-like 

 or only sligiitly saw-like feelers ; while the head, markedly 

 narrowed behind the eyes, separate them from the Melandryida; and 

 Pythidae, and the open coxal cavities from the Tenebrionidae and 

 Lagriidae. They are convex insects with slender legs, the hind-feet 

 being especially long, often twice as long as the shins. The family 

 is generally distributed, but the species are most numerous in the 

 northern continents. 



Rhipidophoridae.- — The RMpidophorida are nearly related to the 

 Mordellids but are distinguished by their prominent, conical front 

 haunches. From the Pyrochroids they are separated by the 

 relatively wider prothorax ; this is not narrower tiian the elytra, 

 which are short and divergent at their tips, not covering the wings. 

 The feelers are comb-shaped in the males and saw-shaped in the 

 females. The legs are long and the foot-claws bifid at the tip. 

 The family is widely distributed, but appears to be absent from the 

 Australian Region. A single species only (^Mdoecus paradoxus^ 

 occurs in Great Britain. Its larva, which lives parasitically in 



