87 



section i— PENTAMERA. 



The species of this section, . with few exceptions, have five joints 

 in all the tarsi ; in some very small species some are wanting. This 

 is the most numerous section of the order and contains, as a general 

 rule, the largest species. The section may be divided into six sub- 

 sections by the form of the antennae and the food habits. 1 give 

 these briefly after Dr. LeBaron's arrangement, mentioning under each 

 only the families containing the injurious and few beneficial species 

 mentioned herein. 



Sub-section 1. Filicornes. Antennae filliform. Habits predaceous. 

 Contains the tiger-beetles, predaceous ground-beetles, Qkiadelidae and 

 Carabiadc, and predaceous water-beetles. 



Sub-section 2. Olamcornes. Antennae clavate or club-shaped. 

 Living chiefly upon putrid or decayed vegetable or animal matter. 



Families nttulidje, dermestid.e. 



Sub-section 3. Monilicornes. Antenna3 more or less moniliform or 

 bead-like ; wirg covers very short. Living chiefly upon decaying 

 matter. The short-winged scavenger beetles. 



Sub-section 4. Pecticornes. Antennae pectinate or with a comb- 

 toothed expansion of the outer portion. The stag-beetles. 



Family Lucamd.k. 



Sub-section 5. Lametticornes. Antennae lamellate; that is, with a 

 club at the tip, composed of plates which open like the leaves of a 

 book. Somefeed upon animal excrement, others upon the leaves and 

 roots of planis. 



Families dyxastid.e, rutelid.e, melolonthidje and centoniid.e. 



Sub-section 6 Serricornes. Antennae usually more or less serrate 

 or saw-toothed, slender. Some bore into wood and stems in the larva 

 state, while others are predaceous. 



Families buprestid.e, eeaterid-e, ptiniike. 



As will beseei from this tabular statement, sub-sections one and 

 three contain no injurious species, and that of forty-three families rep- 

 resented in Illinois only ten contain injurious species worthy of 

 notice. 



A few of our most important rapacious species are mentioned and 

 briefly described in o-der to give the reader an idea of those which 

 should not be destroy*!. 



C1CINDELID.E. 



Head large and vertical, wider than the thorax ; antennae inserted 

 on the front, filiform; e/es large and prominent; mandibles strongly 

 toothed ; mouth havingapparently six palpi ; elytra usually marked. 

 with yellow or white. 



This family includes tiose active, ferocious beetles we frequently 

 see flying and alighting >efore us in the road or highway, when the- 

 sun is hot ; as we approioh they again take flight and drop down a 

 few steps in advance, geierally with their heads turned toward us. 

 They have long legs and rm with great rapidity. The species found. 



