)82 



FAMII-V XXIII. !\I^(■KT()1•II \(ill).i:. 



1110 (:•,::!)()). Ei'histemi.s aimcai is Loc. N. Sp. N. A. Col., I. ISC'l, 72. 



<>v:il. t-onvex. Black or iiiccous-lil.i<k. sliiiiiii.^, without punctures; ely- 

 tra s^'radually feebly paler on apical half; lejis ami autenme paler. 'Phorax 

 transverse, the sides evenly curved. Elytra one-third wider than thorax 

 and about three times as loni,', (ho tips narrowly rounded. Length 1 mm. 



Lak-o. I'ai'kc and .Marion coiiiitics ; scarce. A|»i'il 2:^-.Tnly 1. 



Family XXTIT. .MYCETOPHAGID.E. 



TiiK IIaikv FiTNGT's Beetles. 



To this i'aiiiily hcloiio' a limited iiumhcr of small, oval, slightly 

 convex beetles, ^vhicll live on fungi and beneath bark. They have 

 the unper surface hairy and densely i)uactured and the elytra are 

 bi-own or blackish, usually prettily marked with yellow spots or 

 hands, oi' yellow Avith black spots. The name, MyceiophagidcR, is 

 from two Greek words meaning "fungus" and '"to eat," and is in- 

 dicative of the habits of the inseets. 



The i)i'incipal distinguishing characters of the 

 ^fycetophagids are the 11-jointed antenna\ inserted 

 immediately in front of the eyes, the outer joints 

 gradually oi' suddenly enlarged; eyes rather large, 

 with coarse facets; thorax as wide as elytra at base; 

 elytra covei'ing the abdomen and rounded at tip; 

 front coxu^ oval, i-ounded, narrowly separated, the 

 caA'itii's eilher widely open or cIoschI ; middle coxa' 

 rounded, luu'rowlv sei>arated; hind cox;t trans- 



I'ig. 218. LiUifgus hi- '• . J. 1 1 



fascvitus. A European vcrsc ; abdomou witli tivc free and e(|ual ventral 



species. (After Sharp. ) 



segmetds; legs slender, tibiffi nearly linear, with 

 small Icniiinal si)urs; tarsi tilifonn. 4-iointed. the front ones of the 

 males ;)-jointcd, moi'c oi' less dilated and pul)cs(;ent beneath. (Fig. 

 218.) 



As already noted under the family Cryptophagida^, the genus 

 Dlplocoelus has been ti-ansferred from this family to that; while 

 the species listed by llenshaw luider the genus TriphijUus have been 

 sliown by Oasey to belong to tlie family Melandryida', and the one 

 inidci- lit r(ji)ii(s to the iMinida'. This leaves but five genera, and, 

 according to Casey's list, about 25 species of ]\Iycetophagida? from 

 North America. Only about 100 s]iecies are known from the entire 

 world. 



'i'lic pi-iticipal lilcralnrc Ircaling ol' llic Xorlli Aiiici'ican spcci(^s 

 is as follows : 



