COLEOPTERA. — PTINID^. 271 



These larvae very much resemble those of the Lamellicorn beetles 

 in miniature, being soft, cylindric, fleshy, and slightly pilose, with a 

 scaly head, and six legs, and with the last segment large, not furnished 

 with any appendage, and curved beneath the body {fi(j. 30. lo. larva 

 of Anobium, natural size, 30. ll. ditto magnified), so that the insect 

 cannot walk upon a flat surface. The jaws (^fig- 30. 12.) are robust, 

 and armed with four obtuse teeth ; the other parts of the mouth are 

 short ; the maxillae are terminated by a rounded and strongly ciliated 

 lobe; the maxillary palpi are short and 3~jointed ( /?^. 30. 13.) ; the 

 lower lip is thick, with short, apparently inarticulated palpi {Jig. 30. 

 14., 15. ditto seen laterally) ; and the antennae are obsolete. The 

 larva of Anobium paniceum, communicated to me by Mr. Stephens, 

 is white and curved, and similar to those of the Ptini, and other 

 Anobia. 



When full-fed, they construct a cocoon of soft silky matter, mixed 

 with the substances upon which they have been feeding, within which 

 they are transformed to pupae. It would appear that the larva has the 

 instinct to continue the boring of its burrow until it has nearly reached 

 the surface, so that a slight barrier only remains, which the perfect 

 insect can pierce without difficulty. Linnceus informs us that these 

 mischievous grubs may be destroyed by means of arsenic and 'alum. 

 The perfect insects generally appear in the hottest parts of the sum- 

 mer. 

 - De Geer (A/em. vol.4, pi. 9.) has given an account and figures of 

 the larva of Ptinus fur. Bouche {Naturg. der Ins. p. 187.) has de- 

 scribed those of Ptinus imperialis and Anobium tesselatum. Goezc 

 {Naturf or seller. St. 8.) has given a long account of two larvae belong- 

 ing to this family. The larva of another species is described in the 

 new Transactions of the Swedish Academy (1783. 8. 239.); and 

 Mieneken has published an account of that of Ptinus fur in the Na- 

 turf or seher. St. 3. 



The species of the genus Ptinus are found upon old and decaying 

 timber ; and Latreille states that he has frequently found Ptinus ger- 

 manus upon excrement. The sexes in this genus vary so materially 

 in form, that they have often been described as distinct. The males 

 are long and narrow, and the females short and thickened. The Ptinus 

 imperialis Linn. {fig. 30. i.), one of the largest and most elegant 

 British species, is referred by Latreille to the genus Iledobia Dej.^ 

 as it recedes in habit from the rest of the species ; having the antennae 



