Till': i.K(Js OF A i',ki:ti,i:. 



17 



iii;iy 1)(' vMllici' spjirscly. inodci'jilcly (>)• Iliickl\- clulhcd willi hairs or 

 imhcsccncc. wliii-ii may he |)r()s1rat(', siihci'fct or ci-ci'l in position. 

 Wlu'ii the |)ulics(('nc(' is wholly ahsciit and llic siii-racc hare Ihov are 

 said to he (/hihroKs. 



Tile hind ])air, known as the iiiiKr or I ni( iciiifis, of beetles are 

 nienihraiioiis and attached to the iiietat hoi'ax. They are usually so 

 arran^vd as to form a joint near tlie apex so that the entire wing 

 ean be foUhnl under the elytra. In some species with short wing- 

 covers the inner winus extend straight alonu' the dorsal surface of 

 the abdomen. Frequently they are abbreviated or wholly absent, 

 in which eas(^ the metastei'unm is usually short and the elytra close- 

 ly united or coiuialc jdong the suture. 



Tlie Legs. As already noted Hie thre(> ])airs of legs possessed 

 by the mature beetle are joined respectively to the under sui'face 

 of the pro-, iiieso- and metasterna. The tirst joint of eacli leg, oi- 

 that by which it is attached, is called the coxa (plural 

 co.ra ). These vary nuich in shape and size and their 

 form is therefori' of great importance in classification, c-- 

 The front coxal cavities are formed by the prosternnm 

 and its epimera or side-pieces. The middle coxa^ are 

 surronnded by the meso- and metasterna and, in some 

 Carabichv, by the epimera of the former. The hind 

 coxa^ are placed between the metasternum and the 

 first segment of the abdomen. 



At the oTiter end of the coxa and between it and 

 the femur is a small piece called the I rocJiaiifc)-. This 

 is usually situated in the axis of the thigh and varies 

 mnch in form, being more or less oblicjnely cnt otf. 

 The first long piece of the leg is the thigh or fcinur 

 (plural femora) ; following it is the shank or iihia 

 (plural tibia'), the junction, of the two being called the 

 knee. Both of these may be more or less toothed or 

 spined and the tibia' usnally bear at their outer or 

 lower extremity one or two movable spines called 

 tihial siiurs. Attached to the tibia' is the foot or 

 tarsus (plural larsi). consisting of from one to five 



Fig. 0. Leg of 



pieces placed (-nd to end. though sometimes overlap- =■ beetle, Caiosoma 



calidum. c, coxa; 



ping. The number aiul form of these tarsal joints if^ trochanter; /, 



femur; th, tibia; s, 



tb 



varies exceedingiv. The greatest number is five, and tibial spur; t'-t'. 



tarsal joints; f(, tar- 



wdien one disappears it is usuallv lackinii- on all the ^aidaws. 



^, . ' (After Folsom.) 



tarsi. However, in one large group, the Heteromera. 



the front and middle tarsi each have five joints, while the hind ones 



