Sphindidee. | SERRICORNIA. 203 
SPHINDIDZ. 
This small family, which only contains three or four genera and a very 
few species, isone of the most difficult to locate with any certainty ; the 
tarsi, in the females at least, are heteromerous, and in some respects it bears 
a relation to certain Tenebrionide, and may very probably be finally 
classed with the Heteromera; its affinities, however, with the Cisside 
and Bostrichide are so great that further consideration is necessary 
before relegating it to that group; in the catalogue of Heyden, Reitter, 
and Weise it is placed with Aspidiphorus as a tribe of the Bostrichide, 
and just before the Lyctide ; in one or two points, such as the elongate 
first ventral segment of the abdomen, Sphindus appears to agree with 
Lyctus, but Aspidiphorus appears rather to belong to the Byrrhide ; 
Perris, however, has pointed out that the larvee of Sphindus and Aspidi- 
phorus are very closely related, the difference being chiefly one of colour, 
the former having the thorax black with a central whitish line, and the 
other segments ornamented with a transverse band interrupted in middle, 
and the latter having the head alone black, the thorax reddish, and the 
rest of the body dull white or livid. 
Dr. Horn says that the affinities of the family seem to be equally 
divergent in a Clavicorn and Serricorn direction, and that it seems mostly 
related to the Cissidee ; perhaps the best position that can be assigned 
to it is between the Cisside and Lyctide. The following are some of 
the chief characters that distinguish the family :—Head short, prolonged 
in front, antenne 10-jointed, with the first two joints enlarged and the 
last three forming a rather strong club, maxillee with two narrow ciliate 
lobes ; thorax margined at sides ; anterior coxal cavities closed ; elytra 
covering abdomen; abdomen with five free ventral segments, the first 
being longer than those that succeed it; legs moderate, tibie arcuate, 
tarsi shorter than tibize, 5-jointed in the male, anterior and middle pair 
5-jointed and posterior pair 4-jointed in the female,* the last joint 
being as long as the others united. The species belonging to the family 
are very small, and live on small black powdery fungi that grow on 
trees. 
SPHINDUWS, Chevrolat. 
This genus contains three species, two of which occur in Europe, and 
the third inhabits North America ; our single species is extremely local, 
and has only been met with in a few localities. 
S. dubius, Gyll. Oblong, convex, somewhat depressed on dise, 
black, with the antenne and legs ferruginous or reddish-testaceous ; 
head broad, produced before eyes, which are prominent, finely and 
Saati Raa eae ae Rane Baie a eA ee 
* It is possible that, as far as this character is concerned, the sexes should be 
reversed (cf. Rhizophagus); Dr. Horn gives the tarsi of both sexes as heteromerous, 
