ANTHICIDAE. 263 



Maxillae with large, exposed base, and two flattened, ciliate 

 lobes ; palpi 4-jointed. 



Head somewhat inclined, strongly constricted behind the 

 eyes ; neck slender, front somewhat prolonged, labrum pro- 

 minent ; mandibles not extending beyond the labrum, trun- 

 cate or emarginate at tip. 



Antennae inserted at the sides of the front, immediately 

 before the eyes, 11 -jointed, nearly filiform, very rarely {Xy- 

 lophilus Melsheimeri £) flabellate. 



Prothorax narrower than the elytra at base, lateral suture 

 wanting; anterior coxal cavities open behind, confluent. 



Mesosternum pointed behind, usually very slightly sepa- 

 rating the coxae, rarely the coxal cavities are confluent; side 

 pieces extending to the cavities ; metasternum long, side 

 pieces narrow. 



Elytra covering the abdomen, rounded behind ; epipleurae 

 very narrow. 



Abdomen with five free ventral segments, rarely six. 



Legs moderate ; anterior coxae conical, prominent, con- 

 tiguous ; middle ones subconical, with distinct trochantin, 

 nearly or quite contiguous; hind ones transverse, nearly 

 contiguous in the first three tribes, more distinctly separated 

 in the fourth tribe ; tibial spurs small ; anterior and middle 

 tarsi 5-jointed; hind tarsi 4-jointed; the penultimate joint 

 of all generally emarginate ; claws simple, except in Nerna- 

 toplus, Pedilus, and Macratria. 



I have united the Anthicites and Pedilides of Lacordaire, and 

 excluded from the family Scraptia, which appears to me to be 

 more related to the Melandryida?. The family is thus rendered 

 very homogeneous, and divides into four natural tribes : — 



Eyes more or less emarginate ; hind coxae approximate ; 



Head constricted far behind the finely granulated eyes. Pedilini. 



Head constricted just behind the coarsely granulated eyes. Xylophilini. 

 Eyes elliptical, entire, rather coarsely granulated ; 



Hind coxae approximate. Macratriini. 



Hind coxae somewhat distant. Anthicini. 



Tribe I.— PEDILINI. 



The species of this tribe are of much larger size than those of 

 the other tribes, varying in size from one-fourth to one-half an 

 inch in length ; they are found on flowers. 



The head is constricted far behind the eyes, which are tolerably 

 finely granulated, never regularly oval, and always emarginate, 



