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CHAPTER XIV. 



THE STERNOXI, OR "SKIPJACKS" AND THEIR ALLIES. 



This Section, called also " Serricomes," is divided into 

 three families, — the Buprestida, Eucnemidre, and Ela- 

 terida ; in which the tarsi have five, and the antennse 

 eleven (except in certain of the latter, where there are 

 twelve) joints ; and the prosternura is elongated into 

 a projection behind, fitting into a cavity between the 

 middle legs. 



In the two first families the prothorax fits tightly 

 against the base of the elytra, and there is no power of 

 jumping when the insect is placed on its back : whilst 

 in the last the prothorax is not applied closely to the 

 mesothorax, but loosely articulated, and there is nearly 

 always great saltatorial power. 



They are all wood or vegetable feeders, with serrated, 

 flabellated, or filiform autennse ; mostly elongate and 

 cylindrical, or a little depressed ; metallic in colour, and 

 of hard integuments. They have no paraglossse to the 

 ligula ; their posterior cox£e are immoveable, and trans- 

 verse, receiving in repose the upper part of the hinder 

 femora for their whole length ; the anterior coxaj are 

 globose ; the tibire have no rows of spines ; the penulti- 

 mate joint of the tarsi is often bilobed ; and the abdo- 

 men is five-jointed. 



