294 Transactions South African Philosophical Society, [vol. xiii. 



Sub-Family CETONINI. 



Body moderately convex or plane above ; labrum hidden under 

 the clypeus; ligula fused with the mentum ; maxillae robust or 

 slender, but not as massive or as robustly dentate as in the 

 Melolonthini, except in the genus Diplognatha, and provided 

 with an inner corneous lamina or inner lobe, and surmounted 

 by an upper lobe varying in size and Bhape ; antennae 10-jointed, 

 antennal club tri-jointed ; elytra leaving the margin of the propy- 

 gidium and the pygidium uncovered, and also the edge of the 

 dorsal part of the three abdominal segments ; mesothoracic epimera 

 always greatly developed, vertical or strongly bulging; anterior coxae 

 vertical ; abdominal segments seemingly ankylosed but with the 

 sutures plainly distinct; claws of tarsi strong, simple, of equal length; 

 hind tarsi with two long spurs at the inner angle. 



The affinities of the Cetonin.k lie in two directions. Certain 

 Trichini and Myodermini connect this Sub-Family with the Melo- 

 lonthin-E ; the Cetonini seem to be more closely allied to the 

 Dynastin^:. From the latter they are divided by the shape of the 

 mentum, and that of the mandibles, whereas these two parts are 

 nearly akin to those of the Melolonthini ; in many species the lower 

 spur of the hind tibiae of the female is often greatly dilated, and even 

 spatuliform, also in the manner of many Melolontliini, and when of 

 normal shape it is always blunter than that of the male. The mode 

 of flight is unique among the Coleoptera, the wing-covers being 

 merely raised vertically while the wings protrude underneath. 



Although the majority of these insects are living in the imago 

 state on the pollen of flowers, the juice, sap, or gum exuding from 

 many plants, many are termitobious or mvrmecobious ; others are 

 coprophagous, some of them live in the larval state in the nests of 

 birds, feeding on the excrements of the young, and making there 

 their cocoon of stercorarious matter. 



The Sub-Family is divided into five sections, based on the shape of 

 the scutellum and of the mesothoracic epimera. 



A . Scutellum short, cordiform, not acuminate at tip. 



B . Mesothoracic epimera invisible if looked at from above. . Tpichiini. 



B'. Mesothoracic epimera vertical, laminiform, visible from 



above Myodermini. 



A 1 . Scutellum long, or very long, sharply acuminate at tip. 



B 3 . Mi isothoraoio epimera vertical, not visible from above .. Valgini. 



B'. Mesothoraoia epimera large, or very large, plainly visible 



from above Cetonini. 



