﻿104 BRITISH BEETLES. 



The MycetophagidyE are either oblong or oblong- 

 oval, moderately convex, and clothed with a depressed 

 pubescence, being also mostly gaily coloured or prettily 

 variegated. Their anterior coxae are subglobose and 

 free, the posterior being subcylindric and transverse; 

 they have no paraglossse to the ligula ; the segments 

 of the abdomen (5) are all free, and the tarsi are four- 

 jointed, the anterior pair in the males having only three 

 joints. 



The species are all found in fungi or fungoid growth, 

 and are generally abundant when discovered. Mycetopha- 

 gus multipunctatus (Plate VII, Fig. 2) is one of the pret- 

 tiest, occurring in fungi on rotten oak, etc. The irregu- 

 larly-punctured genus Triphyllus has the club of the 

 antennse distinctly formed of three joints, and the little 

 yellow delicately-striated Typhaa is found in profusion 

 at the bottoms of haystacks. 



The Dermestid.e have straight, short, clubbed an- 

 tennse, inserted in front and sometimes fitting (in re- 

 pose) into grooves in the sides of the prothorax ; the 

 head small and retractile, and often received into a pro- 

 longation of the prosternum ; the parts of the mouth 

 little prominent ; the anterior coxse conic and exserted ; 

 the tarsi five-jointed, and the elytra covering the abdo- 

 men. All of them, except Dermestes, have a smooth 

 eye-like spot on the forehead. 



They are found in dry dead animals and skins for the 

 most part, the " bacon beetle," Dermestes lardarius, 

 being well known as a ravager ; some, however, occur in 

 flowers. They partially retract the legs, and counterfeit 

 death on being frightened. The larva of Deimestes is 

 long, with leathery plates on the upper side, which is 

 clothed with long scattered hairs ; and there is a pair of 



