MelaHO}-)lithalma.'\ clavicornia. 295 



Isle of Wight, &.C ; it does not, however, occur further north than the Loudou 

 district, as far as is at present known. 



Our British form is the v. meridioncdis, Roitter; we do not appear 

 to possess the type form, which is pitch-Wack, and on an average 

 larger. 



CTJCUJID-a:. 



As in the case of the Colydiidas, so also in the case of this family, we 

 only possess a few fragmentary genera containing altogether some sixteen 

 or seventeen species, and several of these are cosmopolitan insects 

 which have been introduced by commerce ; we need not, therefore, dis- 

 cuss their classification ; in the Munich catalogue thirty-eight genera 

 and about two hundred species are enumerated, but these have since 

 been considerably increased ; by Duval and other authors the Monoto- 

 mida? are included under this famil}'-, but their 3-jointed tarsi seem to 

 place them in closer proximity with the Lathridiid^e. 



The following are some of the chief characters of the family: — 

 AntenuEe inserted at the margin of the front, 11-jointed, sometimes 

 long and slender, sometimes with the apical joints forming an indis- 

 tinct club ; anterior coxal cavities open behind in the Cucujina. and 

 Hyliotina, closed in the Silvanina, Hypocoprina, and Psammoechina ; 

 anterior coxje small ; tarsi 5-jointed in both sexes, or with the posterior 

 tarsi occasionally 4-jointed in the males. 



The species live mostly under bark, but some are found in grain, rice, sugar, &c., 

 and thus have been distributed by commerce. 



This family may be divided into the following tribes : — 



I. Auterior coxal cavities open behind. 



i. First joint of antennse not strongly elongate ; tarsi 



of male 5-5-4-jointed, of female all 5-jointed . . . CucuJiNA. 



ii. First joint of antennse strongly elongate ; all the 



tarsi 5-jointed in both sexes Hyliotina, 



II. Anterior coxal cavities closed behind. 



i. First joint of tarsi short ; point of prosternum very 

 narrow between anterior coxa?. 



1. Antenna? gradually thickened towards apex, with- 

 out distinct club ; elytra punctate-striate ; last 



joint of maxillary palpi large PSAMMCE CHINA, 



2. Antenna) with 3-jointed club ; elytra not punc- 

 tate-striate ; punctuation obsolete j last joint of 



maxillary palpi small Hyfocopeina. 



ii. Fourth joint of tarsi very small ; point of prosternum 



rather broad between anterior coxse Silvanina. 



CUCUJINA. 



This will probably be found to be a very extensive and widely 

 spread tribe ; there are five European genera, of which two are found in 

 Britain ; L'xmophloeus is cosmopolitan. 



