130 



THE ORDER OF COLEOPTERA. 



Family LVII. BRENTIIID^. 



This, like the preceding family, might be regarded, more properly 

 perhaps, as one of the sub-families of the Carculionidie. It agrees with 

 them in the important characters of the elongated snout, the undevel- 

 oped labrum and palpi, and the spongy and usually bilobed tarsi. It 



differs from the great majority of them 

 in its non-elbowed antennae, and the 

 uniform absence of the minute terminal 

 joint, which forms a twelfth or super- 

 numerary joint in the antennae of many 

 of the Curculionidte ; and also in the 



LFig. 60. 



greatly elongated form of the body, 

 especially in some of the foreign spe- 

 cies. The family is considerably nu- 

 merous, upwards of six hundred species 

 being known to exist in cabinets, most 

 mSwli;'^h^.i^?',S^!'niegaudOf which are found in tropical regions. 

 Snier-ate? iil^^y!"' "^ Only a siugle spccics is known 



to inhabit the continent of Europe, and but three species are found in 

 North America, north of Mexico, and of these only one inhabits the 

 more northern parts of the United States. This is the species com- 

 monly known as the Northern Breuthian, which is figured in all its stages 

 in the accompanying cuts. Much interest has become attached to this 

 species from its being the only one of the Breuthian family whose lar- 

 val history has been traced, and also from the uncertainty in which this 

 Mstory has been involved. In a Eeport upon the Insects of Massachu- 

 setts, published in 1838, Dr. T. W. Harris gave a history of the habits 

 of this insect, together with a description of certain larvjie found in com- 

 pany with the perfect insects, and communicated to him by the Rev. L. 

 W. Leonard of Dublin, New Hampshire. As these larv.T vrere likewise 

 accompanied by pupa^, having the characteristic snout of the Brenthian, 

 bent down between the forelegs, it seemed to be almost demonstrated 

 that the insect in all its stages was here exhibited. But as these larviie 

 departed widely from the Curculionide type, in having well developed legs, 

 and an anal proleg, subsequent authors have generally held the opinion 

 that some mistake must have occurred in the matter. These doubts have 

 recently been cleared up in Mr. Kiley's Sixth Annual Report upon the 

 Insects of Missouri. It therein appears, from specimens communicated 

 to the author by Mr. Wm. R. Howard, of Forsyth, Missouri, that the 

 larvm of Brenthus do not differ essentially from other Curculionide 

 larvai. Mr. Riley concludes that the larvae sent to Dr. Harris by Mr. 

 Leonard, must have appertained to some one of the Tenebrionidns ; sim- 



