COLEOPTEEOES INSECTS. 151 



disk ; the abdomen shining red, with the two last 

 segments black. The legs and four lowest joints of 

 the antennae are pale red, the six following joints of 

 the latter black, and the terminal one pale red. 



The only other genus of this family now to be 

 illustrated has been named Zirophorus. Its dis- 

 tinctive characters are, the depressed body, the teeth 

 on the outer edge of the anterior tibiae, the trans- 

 verse head («. e. wider than long), square thorax, 

 attached to the abdomen by a kind of narrow pe- 

 duncle, and the size of the mandibles, which rather 

 exceed the length of the head, and are deeply den- 

 tate at the extremity. All the species, not exceed- 

 ing seven in number, are natives of America and 

 the great islands on the east of Asia. They inva- 

 riably live under bark in a state of decomposition, a 

 process which they greatly hasten by perforating it 

 with numerous holes, and making it pervious to air 

 and moisture. The most common species is Z. sco- 

 riaceus ;* that which we have represented bears con- 

 siderable resemblance to it, and is named 



* Figured in Griffith's Translation of Cuvier's Regne 

 Animal, iv. pi. 32. 



