f)SS I'AMII.'i- WXV. — DASCYLLin.l-:. 



nil. Front coxic hnvj. with distinct trocliantin ; Ixidy and ely- 

 tra softer tlian usual, tlexililc. Ilu> i)arts not well eo- 

 adapted ; tlmrax usually \vitli a broad, tiiin niar.!;in. 

 o. Visible ventral segments seven or eiij;ht. some of them 

 often with li,sxht-.iz:ivin.t: power; fourth .ioint of tarsi 

 more or less bilobed. 



Family Xr>. Fami'vrid.k. p. SOT. 



(III. \'isil)le ventr.al se.iiments five or six. none with lii^ht- 



j;ivin.LC iiower: fourth joint of tarsi entire; el.vtra more 



r)r less li-uncate and widest near their tips; length less 



liiaii <; iinii. Family XLI. .M,\i acii iid.k. ji. s:i'.). 



Pamiiy XXXV. I)AS( 'YLI.TD.E. 



The Sokt-bodied J'lant Beetles. 



A family of siual' size, eoniposed. for the most part, of siiiall. 

 heniispherieal or oval, siibeonvex species of rather soft texture and 

 (lull color. They occur mostly on plants near water, though some 

 arc found on dead timber, a few in running water and others in 

 rotten wood. The name of the typical genus, Dascijlliis, comes from 

 the Greek words meaning "thick" and "shaded," and probably re- 

 fers to the du-iky or piceotis htie of many of the si>ccics, or perhaps 

 to the shaded places along streams which they inhabit. 



The most important characters ])ossessed 1\v the family are the 

 widely separated, ll-joinled. nioi'c or less serrate antenna; which 

 are inserted beneath a slight ridge immediately in front of the eyes: 

 head sometime-; prominent but usually defiexed ; elytra covering 

 Ihe abdoiiicii, which has fiv(^ free ventral segments, the fifth ivunuhHl 

 at tip; front coxa' transverse, either with Ini'ge trocliantin or none 

 at all, the cavities widely open behind; middle coxic smaller, sub- 

 t raiisviM'se ; hind coxa' t I'ansvei'se. nearly contign(Uis. dilated into a 

 plate ])aitly covei-ing the thighs; tai'si r)-jointed. claws siiiipli' or 

 pectinate. 



The ])i'incipal litei'alui'e treating ol' the Xortli AiiuTican species 

 is as follows : 



Le(U>nif. — "Synopsis of the Ato])idai and Cyphonida^ of the 

 United States," in iVoc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., VI, 1853. 

 350-3,57. 



TJorn. — "Synopsis of the Dascyllidiv of the United States." iti 

 Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, VTIT, 1880, 76-114. 



Only about 400 s]Tecies (^f the family are known, 50 of whicli are 

 listed fi'oiii the I'nited Stale's. 'IMiese ai'e distributed between two 

 subfamilies. 



