COLEOPTERA. — PSEUDOTETRAMER A. 325 



is always more or less deeply emarginate at the extremity, and the 

 underside of the three basal joints is generally thickly cushioned. 

 The whole of these insects feed upon vegetable matter, and are found 

 in their perfect state upon flowers, leaves, or the trunks of trees; the 

 larvae are fleshy grubs, being in the llhyncophora entirely destitute of 

 legs, or having them replaced by fleshy tubercles ; in the Longicornes 

 the six thoracic legs are distinct, but very minute, and in the Phy- 

 tophaga they are of the usual size. Mr. MacLeay, indeed, speaks of 

 the Apod or Vermiform larva.', as consisting of the tribes having the 

 Linnaean genera Bruchus, Curculio, Attelabus, Cerambyx, Leptura, 

 Necydalis, and part of Dermestes and Tenebrio as the types, and con- 

 siders the passage from this tribe as effected by means of Donacia to 

 the Anopluriform larva?, including Chrysomela, Cryptocephalus, Coc- 

 cinella, Cassida and Hispa; thus forir.ing these insects into two primary 

 groups of the order : but as compared with the other primary groups, 

 there appears to be a general affinity preserved through these insects ; 

 the Rhyncophora and Longicornes being allied in the structure of the 

 internal feeding larva, and the relationship of the latter with the 

 Cyclica being established by means of the Lepturida? and Crioceridos, 

 and especially by the genus Donacia. It is true that Cerambyx and 

 Leptura have nearly apod and internal feeding larvaj ; and that the 

 larvae of the Crioceridas and Chrysomelidae are 6-footed, external 

 feeders ; the internal feeding larva of Donacia, which, in the per- 

 fect state, is referable to the Criocerida) (although placed by Lin- 

 naeus with Leptura), will probably be found to supply the link which 

 here appears wanting. On the other hand, however, such genera as 

 Megamerus, Rhaebus, Choragus, Bruchus Bactris, and Sagra, appear 

 sufficiently to point out a passage between the aberrant Rhyncophora 

 andPhytophaga; andMr.Kirby has indeed made Anthribus and Clythra 

 the connecting links between these two divisions. Latreille divides 

 this section into seven groups or families, the Rhyncophora (Cur- 

 culio), Xylophaga (Scolytus, &c.), Platysoma (Cucujus), Longicornes 

 (Cerambyx), Eupoda (Crioceris), Cyclica (Chrysomela), and Clavi- 

 palpi (Erotylidaj). The major portion of the Xylophaga, such as 

 the MycetophagidcE, Trogositidac, &c.,^iave been already described 

 amongst their more legitimate relations, the Necrophaga ; whilst 

 others, as the Bostrichida}, have been considered as allied to the 

 Ptinidffi; the only remaining group Scolytidae, both in the structure 

 of the larva and of the oral apparatus, being too closely allied to some 



