PREDACEOUS GROUND-BEETLES. 



47 



The next two gei>era resemble still more closely some of the Harpali- 

 des, but the structure of the fore-feet of the males places them iu the 

 present sub-family. They are easily distinguished, however, from the 

 great majority of the Harpalides, by having the thorax nearly or quite 

 as wide at base as the elytra. 



The meaning of the generic name Oodes, is, resemhUng the letter 0, the 

 species being of a regular oval form, and the thorax and elytra being of 

 precisely the same width and closely applied to each other. ' In this re- 

 spect they resemble the genus Amara among the Harpalides. The genus 

 Badister, meaning a fast icaRer, is composed of a small number of pretty 

 little glossy reddish beetles, spotted with black, a style of coloration iu 

 strong contrast with the usually dark colors of the Carabidie. 



Sub-family HAEPALIDES. 



The Harpalides, as here defined, embrace a very extensive group of 

 beetles, not much inferior iu numbers to all the other sub-families com- 

 bined; and as they are most- 

 ly of black or dark metallic 

 colors, and as their size is for 

 the most part limited in its 

 range from a quarter of an 

 inch to a little more than half 



Supposed larva of Harpalus (in the act of devouring a . , . , , , , , 



Curculio larva) -.—B. lieadseen from beueath : j, i, h, marks aU lUCh m length, and AVhCU 



on under side of abdomiual segments, becoming fewer to- -, -, . . i • xi j. xi • 



wards the tip— after Walsh. We add tO thlS that their 



most distinctive characters are restricted to the male sex, some idea can 

 be formed of the difficulty of classifying them, or of referring any par- 

 [^'^ i-i] ticular species to its proper location. Their 



distinctive character lies in the structure of the 

 tarsi of the males, which often have both the 

 anterior and middle tarsi dilated, and instead 

 of having a uniform brush upon the under side, 

 they are furnished with two rows of little 

 transverse plates, or scale-like papillse, and the 

 hairs which border the sides of the tarsi are 

 usually coarser, or more bristly than they are 

 Harpalus pENNSYLVANicus i)e- j^ ^jj^ Chheuiides ; aud the angles of the dilated 



Geer: — The side figure exhibits " ^ ' ° 



the under side of the anterior tar- JQjjji-g are more promiueut. The first section, 



8US of the male Harpalus. show J^ f ' 



ing the two rows of scale like j^^^g-^^gj. qj, ^jjjgQjactili, havc the tarsi brushcd 



papilla?. Near the end of the " ' ' 



tibia is also seen the notch, so uQclerneath like the Chliieniides, but differ from 



characteristic of the anterior ' 



tibia of the Carabidse, with one ^jjg^^ In havlng the middle tarsi as well as the 



of the tibial spurs at its upper '^ » 



angle-after Kiiey. autcrior oucs dilated ; and they moreover har- 



monize better with the Harpalides iu their general aspect. 



