Sci/ilmccmdic] clavicornia. 73 



with erect hairs ; they occur in moss, under stones, under l)ark, in ants' 

 nests, &c., and are often found in company with Psehiphidae. We know 

 comparatively little of the family ; a large number of species have heeu 

 described from almost all parts of the world, but more are perpetually 

 being found in every district which is worked for them ; the generic 

 dill'erences are by no means strictly defined ; several new genera have 

 recently been formed to include various divisions of the large genus 

 Sci/drncenus, but they must be regarded as only a provisional arrangement 

 towards the final settlement of the genus. The British families may be 

 defined as follows : — 



I. Last joint of maxillary palpi narrow, distinct, subulate ; 



thorax narrower than elytra SCYDMJENINA 



II. Last joint of maxillary palpi very short and broad, obsolete, 



obtusely pointed, and rounded in conjunction with the 



third joint. 

 i. Thorax narrower than elytra; antennae feebly geniculate 



■with the first joint as long as the two following .... EUMICEINA. 

 ii. Thorax as broad or nearly as broad as elytra ; antennae 



straight ; first joint not as long as the two following . . Cepheniina. 



SCYDM^NINA. 



This tribe contains the old genus Scydmcenus, which is now divided 

 into several genera on certain characters of the head^ thorax, coxce, i^'c. ; 

 upwards of two hundred species are enumerated in the Munich catalogue, 

 but this number by no means represents the limits of the genus. Our 

 species may be subdivided as follows: — 



I. Head short, without distinct neck, eyes approximate to 



margins of tliorax. 

 i. Thorax strongly margined, with sides nearly straight 



from base to beyond middle; hind coxa? contiguous . . Netieaphes, Thorns. 

 ii. Thorax cordiform without distinct margins ; hind coxae 



moderately separated SCTDM^NUS, Lair. 



II. Head long, divided from thorax by a distinct neck ; eyes 



placed at a considerable distance from margins of thorax . Euconnus, Thorns. 



NEURAPZSES, Thomson. 



This genus contains about sixty European species ; it is distinguished 

 from ScydmcBmis by the shape of the thorax and the contiguous hind 

 coxae ; none of our British species are common ; the insects that stand 

 in our collections under the name of S. immilio ( ^=ininutuSj Chaud.) 

 appear to me to be nothing more than varieties at the most of S. 

 SparshaUi. 



I. Forehead with a strong fovea near eyes ; thorax at 

 base with a fine longitudinal keel above scutellum. 



i. Thorax distinctly punctured N. ELONGATULUS, Mull, 



ii. Thorax not, or scarcely, punctured. 



1. Size larger; thorax about as long as broad, 

 strongly narrowed and angled at sides on 

 anterior third N. anguiatus, Miill. 



