SOFT-WINGED PREDACEOUS-BEETLES. 105 



sometimes small, but rarely very small. They are mostly i)lain insects 

 witlioiit brilliant colors ; usually black or brown, and many have the 

 thorax margined with red or yellow. 



The Lampyrida? comprise three sub-families, wliich may be character- 

 ized as follows : 



A. Elytra reticulutcd ; middle coxix; sc'])ar:ito ; head partially covered by tiie ante- 

 rior margin of the thorax Lyoides. 



A A. Elytra not reticulated; middle coxie contiguous. 



15. Head nearly or quite covered by the thorax; antenna' usually apiiroximate; 



side pieces of metasternum rather Avide JyAMPvuiDES. 



n II. Hea<l wholly imcovered by the thorax; antenuie rather distant; side pieces 

 of metasternum tapering to a point Ixliind Tki.kimioiudks. 



Sub-family LTCIDKS. 



The Lycides are distinguished by their reticidated elytra, i)rodu('(Ml 

 by elevated lines and cross-lines. Tlie genus Jjycus, and some others, 

 have the head more or less prolonged in front in the form of a snout. 



A. Head witli a tli.stinct lioak ; aiiteniun in.serted in froiit of tlie eyes ; elytra usually widened l>eliin<I : 



Lycl'.s, :t sp. 

 A A. lload witliont distinct beak; antcnnic inserted between the eyes. 



B. Elytra widened bobmd ; tbora.v carinato Cai.optekox, 7. 



K B. Elytra parallel ; thorax not caiinate Ekom, 16. 



Jjt/CHSj Fab., including Bictyopterus, Latr., which ditt'ers only in hav- 

 ing the rostrum shorter and more robust, contains throe known North 

 American species. 



Calopteron, Guerin, contains a number of species, two of which at 

 least are rather common and conspicuous insects: the C. reticuhifum, 

 Fab., five or six-tenths of an inch in length, yellow, with the middle of 

 the thorax, a broad band across the elytra, and a broad tip of the same, 

 black ; and the C. fcrmhudc, Say, of the same size and color, but with- 

 out the middle band on the elytra. A much smaller species, the C. di- 

 midiatum, Fab., {scapnlare, Newman,) is blackish, >vith the margin of 

 the thorax, and the tips of the shouhlers, yellow. The antenni^^ are 

 strongly pectinate, or branched. It is the type of the genus CWnia, of 

 Newman. 



IJros, Newman, contains many species, the most conspicuous of which 

 is the E. eoceinatns, Say, four-tenths of an inch long, and of a bright 

 scarlet color. 



Subfamily LAMTYIIIDES. 



The remarks made above upon the present tribe of soft-wingetl Car- 

 nivora, and upon the family of rjampyri<Le, apply especially to the suli- 

 family of Lampyrides proper, and need not be here repeated. Their 

 —14 



