60 



THE ORDER OF COLEOPTERA. 



[Fig. 22.] 



-Lar- 



Ips fasciatus, a shining black species, quarter of an 

 inch long, with two conspicuous, interrupted reddish 

 bands across the elytra. Xitidtda hij^ustulata, a black- 

 ish brown insect, with a yellow dot on the middle of 

 each elytron, one-sixth of an inch long; and Omosita 

 colon, a little species one-tenth of an inch in length, 

 brown, the elytra pale at the tips with two minute dots, 



Ir.S I-ASCIATUS 



va iiud beetle— af- like a colon — are the three most common species. 



ter Packard. 



Family XI. DERMESTID^. 



This family is founded upon the genus Bermestes, of Linnseus, a name 

 derived from the Greek derma — a slcin, and esthio 

 — to devour, and applied to these insects because 

 some of the species are destructive to skins and 

 furs, and other dried animal substances. They 

 differ from the three preceding families in hav- 

 ing the abdomen completely covered by the wing- 

 cases; but they are more particularly d i s t i n - 

 guished by having the sternum or breast-plate ad- 

 vanced under the mouth like a chin-cloth; by 

 their short and contractile legs and antennte, and 

 by their coloration, which consists of light-colored 

 ''-Ljarva^'^Zfonhl'hrr-^potsona darker ground, the spots being pro- 

 rKS&rf''^'''^' duced by minute scales which can be rubbed off. 

 The larvjie are rather hard, brown, active grubs, more or less clothed 

 with stiff hairs, which usually form a long brush at the end of the body. 

 Forty-nine N. American species have been described. 



A. No ocellus or eye-like spot on the front. Size from quarter to h.alf an inch in lengtli : 



Deujiestks. 

 A A. Frontal ocellus distinct; less than quarter of an inch in length. 



B. Middle oosiB not widely separated Attagenus. 



BB. Middle coxte widely separated; size very small Anthkenus. 



The Bermestes lardarius, Linn., so called because it is usually found 

 ujion refuse lard and bacon, is our most common species. It is an ob- 

 long oval, black beetle, one-third of an inch in length, with a broad, 

 brownish-yellow band across the middle of its body, and in the middle 

 of this band a transverse row of black dots. 



Another species often found in houses, is the Affaf/enus pelUo, which, 

 like the former, was originally an European insect, but which has now 

 become distributed over the civilized world. It is two- tenths of an inch 

 long, black with a white dot on the middle of each wing-cover, which is 

 wanting in some specimens, having probably been rubbed off. The 

 larvie destroy dried skius, furs and woolens, and are said even to gnaw 



