178 TflE ORDER OF COLEOPTERA. 



Tribe Ist (or 20th.). Trimerous fungus-beetles. Trimera fungivora. 



BOLITOPHAGA. 



Body oval or oblong; antennae exposed and often nearly or quite as 

 long as the head and thorax; colors red and black, usually combined; 

 habits fungi vorous. Eamilies: Erotylidte, Endomychidse. 



Tribe 2d (or 21st). Plant-louse eating beetles. Trimera carnivora. 

 APHiDiPHAGA, Latreille. 



Body hemispherical ; antennae very short and usually concealed be- 

 neath the margin of the thorax; elytra*^ usually red with black dots, 

 sometimes the reverse; feed upon plant-lice. Family: Oocciuellidae. 



Tribe XX. 



TRIMEROUB FUNGUS-BEETLES. 

 Trimera fungivora. Bolitophaga. 



This is a tribe of moderate extent, and is composed of the families 

 Erotylidae and Endomychidse. The former were designated by La- 

 treille by the name Clavipalpi, on account of the large half-moon shaped 

 joint with which the maxillary palpi are usually terminated, and were 

 placed by him in the tetramerous section in deference to the tarsal sys- 

 tem of classification, inasmuch as four distinct joints are usually pres- 

 ent in the tarsi, besides the rudimental penultimate joint. But their 

 general resemblance to the Endomychidpe in size, color and habits, as 

 well as in several important organic characters, has induced all recent 

 systematists to place the two families in the same general division. It 

 is a much more difficult question to decide whether these insects should 

 be retained as a distinct tribe near the end of the order, between the 

 ChrysomelidfB and the Coccinellidse, or be merged in the extensive series 

 of club-horned scavengers, or Clavicornes proper, with which they agree 

 in their clavate antennae, and also with some of them in their fungi vor- 

 ous habits. Mr. Westwood, whilst he retains them in the former posi- 

 tion, expresses a doubt whether they should not be placed in the necroph- 

 agous or scavenger series, as Mr. Stephens previously, and Mr. Thomson 

 more recently has done ; and Mr. Crotch, in his recent revision of these 

 families, expresses the opinion that the ErotylidaB should immediately 

 follow Cryptophagidae, and that the Eudomychidfe should succeed the 

 Mycetophagida3. Other authors, whilst leaving the families in general 

 undisturbed, have contented themselves with removing from them cer- 

 tain genera, which are usually associated with them ; Mr. MacLeay, for 

 example, having removed Languria to the family of Engidae, corres- 

 ponding nearly to our two families of Trogositidae and Cucujidae, whilst 

 Mr. Stephens has placed Tritoma in the family of Anisotomidje. If the 

 number of joints in the tarsi were the only character which distinguishes 



