234 



COLEOPTERA 



Fam. 31. Rhysodidae. - — -Tarsi four -jointed ; mouth-jMiis 

 covered />?/ the large merit um ; front tibiae notehed on the inner 

 edge. This family consists only of a few species, but is found 

 nearly all over the world in the warm and temperate regions. 

 In many of their characters they resemble the Adephaga, but are 

 very different in appearance and in the mouth. The larvae are 

 not known. Some authorities think these Insects should l)e 

 placed in the series Adephaga,^ but it is more probable that they 

 will prove to be ai;iiongst the numerous aberrant forms of Coleop- 

 tera that approach the various large natural series, without 

 really belonging to them. The three families, Colydiidae, Cucu- 

 jidae, and Ehysodidae, exhibit relations not only with other 

 ffimilies of the Coleoptera Polymorpha, Ijut also with most of the 

 great series ; Adephaga, Ehynchophora, Phytophaga, and Hetero- 

 niera, being each closely approached. 



Fam. 32. Cucujidae. — Tarsi Jii-e- or f oar-Jointed, the ^first 

 Joint often, short : antennae sonietimes clubbed , biit more often 

 quite thin at the tip ; front and middle coxae deej)ly embedded, 

 globular, but witli a/i angular prolongation externally ; cdxlomen 

 with five visible ventred segments, all movable. This family and 



the Cryptopliagidae are amongst the 

 most difficult families to define ; 

 indeed it is in this portion of the 

 CTavicorns that an extended and 

 thorough study is most urgently 

 required. The Cucujidae include a 

 great diversity of forms ; they are 

 mostly found inider the bark of trees, 

 and many of them are very Hat. 

 ]\Iany of the larvae are also very 

 flat, but I'erris says there is great 

 diversity in their structure : they 

 are proliably chiefly carnivorous. 

 There are about 400 species described ; we have nearly a score in 

 Britain. 



The family Cupesidae of certain taxonomists must be at 

 present associated with Cucujidae, though the first joint of the 

 tarsus is elongate. 



Fra. 115. — Brontes iilanat us. Britain. 

 A, Larva ; B, pupa ; C, perfect 

 Insect. (A and B after Ferris.) 



■^ See Gaiiglbauer, K(if. Mitteleuroxias, i. p. 5.30, as well as Leconte and Horn 

 Classification, etc., p. 130. 



