210 



MODERN CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS. 



feed upon matter universally and generally spread over desert plains, 

 whereby rapid and distant change of place is rendered necessary. 

 The American Acanthocerus teneus 3IacL. frequents flowers in May, 

 whilst A. MacLeayi Periy, is found throughout the year in rotten 

 wood. (Perty, Del An. Art. Braz. Praf.) 



Mr. Curtis has noticed an interesting peculiarity in the structure 

 of the mandibles, which are furnished with a deep rounded notch 

 on the inside, covered by a leathery lobe, a structure which 

 also prevails in many of the sand Hcteromera, thus confirming the 

 above-mentioned observation of Mr. MacLeay. 



The Heteromerous genus Trachyscelis has no real affinity with this 

 family : Mr. Stephens's mutilated individual (from an inspection of 

 which he was induced to place this genus in this situation) not being 

 a Trachyscelis. The British species of this family are very few in 

 number. 



The fifth family DYNASTiDiE MacLeay, comprises an extensive 

 series of gigantic insects, with which Linnoeus commenced the 

 classification of the Beetles, the males of which are pre-eminently 

 distinguished by various singular protuberances, horns or tubercles, 

 arising from the head or thorax, and often from both of these parts 

 of the body (yjig. 21. l. Dynastes abderus Sturm, from Brazil), 



Fig. 2L 



occasionally giving to the insect a very extraordinary appearance, 

 and of which the females are destitute ; the clypeus is small, trian- 

 gular, pointed in front, or terminated by two small obtuse teeth ; the 

 labrum (fg. 21. 2. labrum of Xylorictes satyrus) is a broad membran- 

 aceous plate, entirely concealed by the clypeus ; the jaws are very 



