SPHrERIID.l^]. 



The Hpluerikhe form a small and somewhat isolated family exhibiting no 

 special affinity to any other group except the Sphteridiidte, and to them only in 

 outward appearance and in the subsolid capitulum of their anuennae. Its true 

 systematic position has therefore been a fertile cause of perplexity ; but since their 

 elongate and free, or prominent anterior coxeb, together with the characters above 

 mentioned, bear a strong reseml)lance to the corresponding parts of Ccrcijon, it 

 would seem most natural to place this family next in succession to the Splucridiidce ; 

 to which family also the life habits of Spluerins, as far as they are known, appear 

 to be very similar. .S'. ncaroides, the best known and the most common species of 

 the genus, has always been found at the roots of herbage, or in moss in boggy 

 places. 



Although the species of Spluerius are not often seen in collections, I believe 

 that in nature they are by no means rare. I have received them from Europe, 

 from many parts of North America, from Central America, Asia, and Northern 

 Africa, as Well as from three localities in this country. Thus they seem to be 

 distributed throughout the regions north of tlie Equator in both hemispheres ; but, 

 as far as I know, they have not hitherto occurred on its southern side. 



From other families the Splueriid,e may be distinguished by their comparatively 

 large and prominent head, their peculiarly formed antennae, the enormous lamina- 

 tion of their posterior coxse, and the unequal length of their ventral segments. 



SPHiERIUS. Pl. VIII. 



Sphcerius, Waltl. Isis, 1888, iv. p. 272. 

 Microsporus, Kolenati, Melet. Ent. v. p. 64, 1846. 



Corpus validissime convexum, srepe hemisphericum. 



Caput magnum, sessile, ore producto, parte gulari convexa, oculis magnis, antennis 

 prope oculos insertis. 



Antemue (PI. VIIL, fig. 7) sat breves, ll-articulatse; 1 permagno, tumide incrassato; 

 2 magno, incrassato, primo multum miuori ; 3 prselongo, gracillimo ; 4, 5, 6 

 parum incrassatis, sibiipsis fere paribus ; 7 sexto multum minori ; 8 septimo 

 simili; 9-11 valde et abrupte incrassatis, capitulum subsolidum formantibus, 

 arete conjunctis ; 10 adjacentibus breviori ; 11 conico ; tribus ultimis setis 

 longis instructis. 



Palpi maxillarps (PI VIIL, fig. 5, r) elongati, 4 articulati; 1 parvo ; 2 proelongo, 

 gracillimo, apicem versus leviter incrassato ; 3 magno, valde incrassato, ovato 

 ad apicem truncato; 4 parvo, gracili, ad medium contracto, ad basim atque 

 apicem dilatato, apice ipso recte truncato. 



Palpi lahiales (PI. VIIL, fig. 6, m) cylindrici, parvi atque graciles, triarticulati ; 

 1 longo, cylindrico; '2 minuto, brevi ; 3 brevi, secundo simili, ad apicem 

 truncato. 



Lahruin (PI. VIIL, fig. 3) suboblongum, antice leviter rotundatum, cpistoma magnum, 

 suboblongum. 



Mandibula (PI. VIIL, fig. 4) bipartite, dimidio apicali in hama duplici, valida, 

 rotunde incurvata formato; dimidio basali abrupte incrassato, atque mtus 

 appendice parvo, serrato, instructo. 



Maxillce (PI. VIIL, fig. 5) debiles, bilobatiB, lobo exteriori tenui, deplanato, ad 

 apicem acuminate atque setis nonnuUis instructo ; lobo interiori gracili, ex- 

 teriori fere pariter longo, atque ad apicem dentibus nonnullis setiformibus 



armato. Stipes validus. 



2 E 



