Serricornia. | SERRICORNIA, 63 
distinct suture ; antennz nearly always serrate or pectinate, inserted on 
the forehead between the base of the mandibles; prosternum produced 
into a spine or process received in a cavity on the mesosternum; anterior 
coxe globose, distant; posterior coxe, transverse, and immovable, 
receiving the femora; elytra, as a rule, more or less plainly sinuate 
behind the posterior coxa, usually striate ; anterior coxal cavities open 
behind ; tarsi plainly 5-jointed ; abdomen composed of five segments, 
the anterior two being often connate. 
Malacodermata. Integument soft and flexible; upper surface 
pubescent or pilose, never glabrous; form variable, but usually more or 
less elongate and narrow, sometimes, however (as in Cyphon and Scirtes) 
short ovate or sub-hemispherical ; size variable, but usually moderately 
large ; head often large, with the eyes strongly projecting; antenne 
nearly always long, filiform, serrate, or gradually thickened towards 
apex, rarely (e.g. Corynetes) with a distinet club; prosternum at most 
produced into a point, but never produced into a spine or process 
received in a fovea of the mesosternum ; anterior coxe conical, very 
rarely subcylindrical, exserted, always contiguous at apex, which is 
somewhat prominent; posterior cox, as a rule, contiguous ; anterior 
coxal cavities nearly always open behind; tarsi usually five-jointed ; 
elytra rarely striate ; abdomen composed of six or seven, rarely five, free 
segments. 
Ptinoidea. Integument, as a rule, hard, or moderately hard ; form 
very variable ; size usually small, sometimes minute ; thorax very often 
like a hood or cowl, covering, or partly covering, the head; antenne 
filiform, sometimes serrate, sometimes with a loosely-formed club ; 
mandibles stout; prosternum short, not produced behind; anterior 
coxe not rounded, usually short-conical and more or less exserted ; pos- 
terior coxe transverse ; anterior coxal cavities, as a rule, open behind 
(but closed in the Cisside and in Lyctus) ; tarsi five-jointed (four jointed 
in the Cisside) ; abdomen composed of five segments, the first of which 
is much elongate in the Lyctide, and to a less extent in the Cisside and 
Sphindide. As, however, the adoption of these divisions is much 
objected to by some authorities, it may be the best course to proceed 
according to the plan already adopted with the Clavicornia (vol. iii. 
pp. 2—8), and arrange the Serricornia in families, giving the chief 
characteristics of each, which taken in conjunction with the characters 
above mentioned for the three groups, may perhaps enable the student 
to identify his genera with some approach to accuracy. 
STERNOXI. 
Buprestide. Head vertical, with the mandibles short and stout, 
inserted into the thorax as far as the eyes, which are very large, ellipti- 
cal, and never emarginate; antenne inserted upon the front, short, 
