MYCTERIDAE. 253 



insect (*5 unc. long) of a very dark bronzed color, punctured 

 with fine cinereous pubescence ; the eyes are larger in the male 

 than the female and slightly emarginate. 



This tribe is remarkable for presenting the first instance of the 

 cleft form of claws, which reappears subsequently in the Anthicidse 

 in the genus Nematonyx, and becomes very general in the families 

 Mordellidae and Meloidae ; I am very doubtful whether it and 

 Scotodes, a Russian genus, should not be separated as a distinct 

 family and placed just before Anthicidae ; the head is constricted 

 at base, at least on the sides, and the thorax is narrower than the 

 elytra. 



Tribe IV.-SCRAPTII]VI. 



Head inclined ; suddenly constricted a short distance behind 

 the eyes into a small neck ; maxillary and labial palpi with the 

 last joint securiform ; anterior coxae large, conical, contiguous, 

 with distinct trochantin ; middle coxae absolutely contiguous ; 

 tibial spurs slender ; tarsi with the penultimate joint lobed ; claws 

 simple. 



But one genus, Scraptia, is contained in this tribe ; the eyes 

 are transverse, deeply emarginate, and strongly granulated, the 

 antennae are long, slender, and very fragile. Our species are 

 found on leaves, and thus far only in the Atlantic States. 



Fam. LTIL— MYCTERIDAE. 



Mentum transverse ; a little wider in front, supported by 

 a large gular process ; ligula prominent, bilobed ; labial 

 palpi 3-jointed. 



Maxillae with a large prominent base, and two ciliated 

 lobes ; palpi 4-jointed, last joint elongate, triangular, ob- 

 liquely truncate. 



Head slightly narrowed behind the eyes, which are rounded 

 and not very finely granulated ; scarcely inclined ; front 

 prolonged into a flattened beak as long as the rest of the 

 head, in the first tribe, short in the second ; clypeus short, 

 coriaceous ; labrum prominent ; mandibles emarginate at tip. 



Antennae 11-jointed, nearly filiform ; inserted at the sides 

 of the front. 



Prothorax trapezoidal, nearly as wide at base as the elytra ; 

 lateral suture wanting ; coxal cavities confluent, open behind. 



