ZIZ FAMILY VIII. — SIM'IIII).^';. 



I. Leptini'S Mull. 1817. (Gr.. "thin or small") 



532 (1092). L!.:PTiNrs testaceus Mull., Gerin. Mag. Eiit, II, 1817, 2GS. 



Obloug-oval, mueli depressed. Uniform pale yellow. Above finely and 

 regularly punctured and rather thickly pubescent with golden hairs. Length 

 2-2.5 nun. (Fig. 133.) 



Lake, iMarion. Putnam and Perry counties; fr<M|ucnt. March 

 11-December 1. P^vidently hibernates as imago. 



Family VIII. SILPHID^. 

 The Carrion Beetle. 



Wherever decaying animal matter occurs, especially dead birds, 

 mice or snakes, the larger members of this family can usually be 

 found. The smaller species live more commonly in decaying fungi, 

 while a few occur only in the nests of ants. The name Silphidaj is 

 founded upon that of the principal genus Silpha, a name of Greek 

 origin indicating a fcptid odor. The larger members of the family, 

 belonging to the genera Necrophorus and Silpha, range in size be- 

 tw^een one-half and one and a half inches. Their eggs are deposited 

 in the bodies of small mammals or fragments of putrid tlesh, whicli 

 are then buried from several inches to nearly a foot in the gronnd. 

 A pair of the beetles will thus biu'y the body of a mouse or mole 

 with great rapidity. The larvae, on hatching from the eggs, feed 

 upon the decaying flesh, and are said to even devour the bones of 

 snuiU mannnals. 



Prom allied families the members of the Silphida? may be known 

 by having the eyes finely granulated, sometimes (in cave species) 

 absent; anteniuv 11-, rarely 9- or lO-jointed, gradually or suddenl\' 

 clubbed at apex and inserted under the margin of the front, behind 

 the base of mandibles; thorax without distinct side pieces beneath; 

 mesosternum very short, the side pieces closing the coxal cavities on 

 the sides; metasternum large, truncate behind; front coxa^ large, 

 ((mical, contiguous; hind coxas contiguous; abdomen with five or 

 six free ventral segments; legs variable, sometimes thick and fitted 

 for digging, sometimes slender; tibise with large terminal spui's ; 

 tarsi usnally 5- jointed. 



The principal literatiu'e ti'eating of the North American species 

 is embodied in tlie two following papers: 



LeConii. — "Synops-is of the Silphida? of North America." in 

 Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat Sci., VT. 1853, 274-287. 



