﻿THE HETEROMERA. 167 



divided orange) ; with the thorax and head bent down, 

 the latter so much so as to be often quite invisible ; the 

 legs getting larger from front to rear, closely articulated, 

 flattened, and with long spurs to the hinder tibise. They 

 are found most frequently in the flowers of Umbelliferce. 

 and are very active in their movements, having an es- 

 pecially irritating habit of slipping away on an attempt 

 being made to capture them. When caught, they are 

 not the easiest beetles to mount on card, — as may readily 

 be guessed from their structure. 



They may be divided into two sub-families, the Mor- 

 dellides and Rhipiphorides, to the former of which chiefly 

 the above remarks apply : the latter containing here a 

 single genus and species, Rhipiphorus paradoxus (Plate 

 X, Fig. 6), a most remarkable insect, both on account of 

 its form and habits; and in which (and its allies not 

 found here) commences a certain degradation in the 

 development of the parts of the mouth ; — the mentum 

 being slender and confused with the ligula, the labial 

 palpi apparently composed of only one joint, the lobes 

 of the maxillae rudimentary, and the mandibles short 

 and not toothed internally. 



It differs from the Mordellides in having the lobes of 

 its maxillae soldered together at the base, with the last 

 joint of their palpi not hatchet- shaped, no membraneous 

 plate to the inner side of the mandibles, and its antennae 

 flabellated ; but otherwise presents numerous points of 

 affinity, and great superficial resemblance. It is much 

 larger than any other of the family ; the female being 

 the largest, and usually having blue-black elytra (which 

 are attenuated and gaping, allowing the wings to be 

 seen) instead of reddish-testaceous. The thorax is very 

 strongly arched* on each side of the hinder margin, and 



