‘Tenebrionina. | HETEROMERA, 17 
the tibia terminated by small but stout spurs, and all the tarsi pubescent 
beneath, 
TENEBRIO, Linné. 
The members of this genus are distinguished from their allies by 
having the last joint of the maxillary palpi almost securiform, the 
elytra striate, and the anterior tibie curved; the third joint of the 
antenn is elongate ; there are about twenty species, of which five are 
found in Europe, and the remainder in North America, Africa, the 
Canary Islands, Ceylon, and the Australian district ; as they are found 
in all their stages in meal and flour, their larve being the well-known 
“meal worms,” they are often transported from one country to another 
by commerce. 
The larva and pupa of Tenebrio molitor are described and figured by Schiddte 
(l.c. pp. 568, 587, pl. xi. figs..6, 12); the larva is parallel, linear, and corneous, of a 
pale ferruginous colour, with the segments at margins, and the head, prothorax, and 
two last segments of the body a little darker than the remainder; the length is ten 
times greater than the breadth; the head is rather narrower than the prothorax, 
which is twice as long as the mesothorax ; the anal segment is conical, and terminates 
in two very minute appendages ; the legs are short; the pupa is much longer than 
broad, almost glabrous, with the plates at the sides of the segments tri- or quadri- 
dentate ; the cerci are moderate, sharp and slightly curved outwards; the larve 
frequent bakehouses, corn mills, granaries, &c., and do much damage by devouring 
meal, bran, flour, &c.; as Westwood remarks, they are very destructive to ship- 
biscuits packed in casks, which, when opened, are found eaten through in holes by 
them; they form no cocoon, and emerge in the perfect state after being about six 
weeks in the pupal condition; they are greedily devoured by birds, and are accord- 
ingly bred by bird-fanciers, as they form an excellent food for several of the species 
that are difficult to rear. 
I. Upper surface shiny ; third joint of antenne shorter . . . T. MOLITOR, D. 
Il. Upper surface dull; third joint of antennz longer . . . . T. opscurvs, F. 
T. molitor, L. Elongate, parallel-sided, rather depressed, mode- 
rately shiny, pitchy black, with the under-side ferruginous; head much 
narrower than thorax, closely punctured, antenne inserted under a 
raised ridge, rather stout, reaching beyond the middle of thorax ; 
thorax almost as long as broad with the sides slightly rounded, very 
closely punctured, with an oblique impressed fovea towards the base on 
‘each side ; scutellum transverse ; elytra more or less distinctly striated, 
with the strize obscurely punctured, and the interstices very closely and 
finely punctured ; legs ferruginous. L. 12-16 mm. 
Male with the anterior tibiw strongly curved ; in the female they are 
slightly, but distinctly, curved. 
In old flour, &c.; generally distributed and often only too common; it is in all 
probability an introduced species, 
Immature specimens of this species are often met with ; they are of a 
ferruginous or reddish-testaceous colour. 
T. obscurus, F. Closely allied to the preceding, which it resembles 
in shape, size, and general appearance ; it may, however, be at once re- 
VOL. V. c 
