TENEBRIONID^. 473 



trees, and in dry, -woody species of fungi. Some males liave 

 the head and anterior margin of the thorax horned. 



Tenebrionid^ Latreille. This is not a very easily limited 

 family ; the most trenchant characters, however, are stated by 

 Leconte to be these : the two-lobed maxillae have the smaller 

 lobe sometimes armed with a terminal corneous hook ; the 

 palpi four-jointed ; the mandibles are usually short, robust and 

 furnished Avith a basal tooth ; the eyes are usually transverse, 

 and the antennae are generally inserted under the sides of the 

 head, or at least under a small frontal ridge, and are usually 

 eleven-jointed, clavate, subserrate or very rarely pectinate, as 

 in Bhipidandrus. The elytra are rounded at tip, covering the 

 abdomen, and frequently embracing its sides very far down, 

 while the hind wings are frequently wanting. The legs vary 

 in length ; the anterior coxae are globose, without any ^ 

 trochantine ; the hind tarsi are four-jointed, and the ab- 

 domen has five free segments, the first three appearing 

 more closely united than the others. The larva? are 

 slender, flattened, horn}^, resembling the wire-worms ; ^ 

 from two to five ocelli on each side, or wanting entirely, 

 and the last ring of the body often has two spines. The 

 larvie (Fig. 444, larva of an unknown species) moult 

 several times, and when about to transform make no co- '''^- ^" 

 coon, the beetles appearing in about six weeks. Dr. Leconte 

 sa3'S that the distribution of the genera of this family is very 

 remarkable. Of those without wings scarcely any are common 

 to the two continents. With the exception of three, they are 

 not represented in North America, east of the longitude of 

 the mouth of the Platte or Nebraska River ; from that point 

 the}' increase in number of genera, species and individuals, 

 until in California they form the characteristic feature of the 

 insect fauna." 



We can only notice a few genera, interesting to the general 

 reader, and refer the special student, as heretofore, to Dr. Le- 

 conte's able treatment of the Colcoptera previously cited. 



The genus Blups^ in which the hind wings are obsolete, does 

 not occur in this country, being represented by numerous spe- 

 cies of Elodes and Fromtis. The European Blaps mortisaga is 



