COLEOPTERA. — BUPRESTID^. 227 



Dicerea Berolinensis from Germany) ; the elytra are for the most part 

 narrowed at the tips, which are often denticulated ; the head is very 

 short (^^. 23. 2, head of Ancyl. rustica), and immersed nearly to 

 the eyes in the thorax ; the legs and antennae are short, the latter 

 (^fig- 23. 2.) being serrated; the scutellum is often obsolete; the 

 thorax broadest behind, with the posterior angles but slightly pro- 

 duced. The posterior projection of the presternum i^jig. 23. 7.) is 

 flat and obtuse, not compressed at the sides, as in the Elateridee ; this 

 structure being consequent upon motions of the insects, which are 

 unable to leap when laid upon the back, like the insects of that family; 

 the prosternum is also occasionally produced in front ; the tarsi 

 (^fig. 23. 6.) are short and generally dilated and cushioned beneath 

 {^fig. 23. 5.), the third and fourth joints being cordate and pulvillose; 

 the mandibles {fig' 23. 2.) are short, triangular, and entire at the 

 tips ; and the palpi are filiform, or but very slightly thickened at the 

 tips {fig. 2^. 3. maxillae, 23. 4. labium of Capnodis cariosa.) 



Nothing can exceed the splendour of colour in many of the species 

 of this family (of which very few, of small size, are found in this 

 country), being decorated with the most brilliant metallic tints ; some 

 have a general coppery hue, whilst some present the beautiful 

 contrast of fine yellow spots and marks upon a highly polished blue, 

 or green ground, and others exhibit the appearance of burnished 

 gold, or of rubies inlaid on emerald or ebony. Hence, their elytra 

 are employed not only by the ladies in China, but also in our own 

 country, for the purpose of embroidering their dresses. 



The perfect insects creep but slowly ; they are, however, very active 

 on the wing in the hot sunshine; but on attempting to seize them, 

 they fold up their legs and antennae, and fall to the ground. The 

 abdomen appears to be composed of only five segments ; the remainder 

 are, however, internal, and constitute, in the female, a retractile, 

 corneous, conical plate, employed for depositing the eggs in the chinks 

 of the bark of trees within which the larvae feed. 



These insects appear to be much attached to the various species 

 of fir-trees ; whence probably their rarity in this country ; and Dr. 

 Hoppe records the discovery of Bupr. 8-guttata, which had been long 

 regarded as extremely rare in Germany, in great numbers in a pine 

 forest near Nuremberg, flying, during the month of July, in the hottest 

 sunshine, and settling upon the horizontal roots of the Pinus sylvestris. 

 Some species are occasionally found amongst flowers and upon leaves ; 



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