COLEOPTERA. PAl'SSID^. 151 



species are of small size, varying from a quarter to half an inch in 

 length. The body is of a firm consistence, and of an oblong, quadrate, 

 subdepressed form (^fig.XI. 21. Paussus Klugii JFestw.), narrowed in 

 front; the head small, and generally narrowed behind into a neck; 

 the antenna?, which are the most singular parts of these insects, are 

 of a very large size, composed of two or more (but never attaining 

 eleven) joints, of a very irregular construction ; the palpi are often 

 very much developed, and unequal (Jiff. 12. 22. the head, seen from 

 beneath) ; the elytra are broader than the rest of the body ; the legs 

 short, strong, and compressed ; the tarsi short and entire, generally 

 5-jointed, the basal joint being often very minute (Jiff- 12. 23.) 



These extraordinary insects appear exclusively to inhabit the Old 

 World ; the tropical and southern parts of Africa and Asia and New 

 Holland being the only countries from which they have been re- 

 ceived. They appear, indeed, to be of extreme rarity. But little is 

 known of their habits ; they are stated by Afzelius to frequent 

 newly-built houses, in the wood of which they most probably are 

 reared. M. Westermann also states (in his account of East Indian 

 and Cape Insects, published in Silbermann's Revue Entomol. No. 3.) 

 that he discovered eight species of this group, all of which were taken 

 accidentally in houses about wood, flying by night, whence he con- 

 ceives them to be nocturnal and xylophagous. The first-named author, 

 who found Paussus spha-rocerus at Sierra Leone, also mentions that 

 it appeared to him that the large globose portion of the antennte of 

 this species was luminous, a circumstance which I have elsewhere 

 given my reasons for considering inaccurate. According to infor- 

 mation given by M. Payen (who resided for some time in the Mo- 

 luccas and Isles of Sunda) to M. Lacordaire, the species of Paussus 

 possess a crepitating power, similar to tliat of the Brachinida.> (La- 

 cord. Ititrod. ii. p. 57.). Another still more curious circumstance 

 concerning these insects has been recently observed by M. Verreaux ; 

 namely, that some of the species, at least, reside in ants' nests. 

 These insects were arranged by Latreille amongst the Xylophaga ; but 



Balman. Analccta Entomol. ; and in Trans. Soc. Holm. (Kongl. Vetensk.) 1825. 



Chevrolat, in Guerin's Slag. Zool. 



Guerin. Iconogr. 11. An. — Ditto, in Revue Zoologicjnc, 1838. 



Westtvood, in Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xvi. ; and in Trans. Ent. Soc. vol. ii. 



Kollar, in Annal. Wien. Mus. Naturg. vol. i. 



L 4- 



