80 



THE ORDER OF COLEOPTERA. 



Tribe VII. 



LAMELLICOEi^ DUNG-BEETLES. 

 Excrementivora lamellicornia. Saprophaga, MacLeay. 



These beetles, as tlieir name implies, are found almost exclusively in 

 the dung of animals, mostly that of horses and cows, upon which they 

 feed, and the decomposition of which they hasten, and thus constitute 

 an important wing of the great army of useful insect scavengers. The 

 tribe is composed of the four following families : 



A. End of tlie abdomen exposed. Middle legs wider apart than the others ; hind 



tibite with a single spur; antenuse 8 or 9-jointed; size various Coprid^. 



A A. Abdomen wholly covered by elytra. Middle legs not wider apart than the 

 others; hind tibiae with two spurs; antennie 9 to 11-jointed. 

 B. Abdomen with six venti-al segments. Anterior thighs not dilated. 



C. Antennae 9-jointed. Body almost cylindrical ; size small ApnODiiDiE. 



C C. Antennae 11-jointed. Mandibles robust and exposed; body oval or roun- 

 ded ; size various GEOTRUPiDiE. 



B B. Abdomen with five ventral segments. Anterior thighs greatly dilated ; body 

 rough ; size small to medium TKOGiDiE . 



Sub-family XXVI. COPRID^. 



This family contains the lar- 

 gest species in this tribe of 

 Lamellicorns, the Copris Caro- 

 lina being upwards of an inch 

 in length, two-thirds of an inch 

 in width, and half an inch 

 in thickness. But it also con- 

 tains small species. Tlie Ohw- 

 ridium capistratimi, a shining, 

 mahogany-brown insect, is 

 scarcely a quarter of an inch 

 in length, and some of the 

 Onthophagi are still smaller. 

 Many of the males have a horn 

 or tubercle on the top of the 

 head. In this division is the 

 common tumble-dung beetle, 



CoprisCarouna, Linu.:— (I, larval; fc, a section of tlio (<7a«i/r07l loivis^ Drury. ) A 

 hollow excremontitioue ball in which tho insect iiurtcrgoes • i? j.i • i. • rt. 



ita transformations ; c, pujia of C. makginatck (from De- pair Ot thCSC inSCCtS IS OltCn 

 haan) : d, lenialp boctlfi : c, tho siyiraclc, or breathing poro of , . . j. i 



Lijva;/, tho man<liblo; .<7, tho antenna;/!, the labium, SCCU WOrklUg lU COnCCI't, and 

 ■wilh tho rmlimontarv labial palpi; i, tho maxilla and ■,-,. ^ ^^ -p 



maxillary pnlpiiH; ?, tlie swelling ou tho under side of the roiling a Dail 01 manUl'C 111 



anaisogn,cut^aaorKiio.v. BQUViih of souie suitablc placc 



