COLEOPTERA. 



I'ETALOCERA. 



199 



kimns ; one consisting of Saprophagous insects, or such as feed upon 

 putrid or decomposed vegetable matter ; and the other of Thalcro- 

 phagous insects, or such as live upon green or fresh vegetable food ; 

 the former corresponding with De Geer's first, and the latter with his 

 two otlier families. Each column also consists of two groups ; the first 

 composed of insects which have membranaceous maxillae, and there- 

 fore live on juices, and, as it were, by licking their food ; and the second 

 of insects which have corneous or crustaceous maxilla:, and therefore 

 live on a more solid species of food, and by mastication. The fol- 

 lowing is Mr. MacLeay's table of the Petalocera [Horce Ent., p. 25.). 



Sa PROP HAG A. 



ScarabcBi terrestres De Geer. 



Insecta materiis dccompositis vel putrcs- 

 centibus victitantia. Pedibus validis 

 (posticis ab aliis subremotis), tibiis latis, 

 elytris saepius ad anum pcrtingentl- 

 bus. 



« 



De Gcer. 



Thalerophaga. 



Scarab»i florales 

 Scaraba;i arborei _ 



Insecta materiis vivis vel vigcscentibus 

 victitantia. Pedibus gracilioribus, 



tibiis subangustis, dytris rarius ad 

 anum pertingcntil)us. 





Character aualogus. 



GeotrupidtB. Mandibula; porrecta9 corncfe. litttcUdw.* 



ScaralxxidcB. Mandibulte membranaceaj. Cetouiidcc. 



Aphodiida:. MaxilLx proccssu niembranaceo. Glapht/ridcf 



<. 85 Si 

 ^' r— ^ 



P.3 a= 



S.-2 





_, ., r Maxilla? dentataj ; mandibulaO 

 ^ ' \ acutiuscula? laniatores. J 



Melolonthida:. 



r Maxilla,' dentata?, vel inermes, ' 

 Dynastidce. < mandibukc obtusa?, mo- 

 l_ lares vel incisoria?. 



• Aitoplognaihida:. 



■ p > 

 3 ~ 



Besides the analogous character afforded by the structure of the 

 mouth, the opposite families in each group have a striking similarity 

 to each other in general form, altliough their analogies can only be 

 gathered from the most general view that can be taken of the differ- 

 ent groups. But the most remarkable of Mr. MacLeay's views was, 

 that each of these two columns is capable of forming a circle ; the 

 Geotrupida: being connected with the Dynastidce by Orphnus and 

 Oryctes, and the Rutelidae with the Anoplognathida^, by means of 



* The recently observed habits of tliis family clearly prove that it ought to be 

 inserted amongst the Phyllophaga. See post. 



O 4 



