Fauna Subterranece. 143 



number of the joints of the feet, may be taken as secondary cha- 

 racters ; but they are of no importance, least of all the last men- 

 tioned. 



According to what we have advanced, this family may be de- 

 signated in the following manner, in contradistinction to the Sil- 

 phidce and Anisotomidae : — 



Scydmaenidae. Antennae W-articulatce, clavatce. Ocidi aggregati. 

 Stipites palporum labialium maximi, detecti, connali. Ligula 

 parva, cornea, paraglossis liberis, elongatis, pectinatis. Coxce 

 anticce conicce, exsertce. Coxce posticce conicce, distantes. 

 Tarsi 5-articulali. Abdomen segmentis ventralibus septem. 



The new genus cannot be admitted into this family, because the 

 parts of its mouth, as will be seen below, are totally different from 

 the type of Scydmaenidae, and its hinder coxae are transversal, 

 moveable on their axis. It only remains, therefore, to compare it 

 with the Silphidce and Anisotomidae. The most recent diagnosis 

 of the first of these families is, according to Erichson :* 



Maxillce mala utraque coriacea aut membranacea. Antennae 11- 

 articulatce, clavatce. Tarsi omnes 5-articulati. Abdomen segmentis 

 sex compositum. 



This diagnosis in its totality is obsolete ; nor can we consider 

 any of its characters as quite correct. The first is too general, 

 and therefore insufficient ; the second excludes Necrophorus ; and 

 the third is cancelled by the genus Balhyscia proposed above. 

 It is only the fourth character which can be retained, remembering, 

 however, that Erichson does not include the first joint, which is 

 concealed by the hinder coxae. 



Erichson proposes the following diagnosis for the An'isotomidce 

 in his last immortal work :-f- 



Antennce W-articulatce clavatce. Coxce anticce exsertce, conicce, 

 posteriores approximatce. Trochanteres postici simplices. Abdomen 

 segmentis ventralibus sex; and he adds the remark, J that the 

 An'isotomidce are so nearly related to the Silphidce, that it is diffi- 

 cult adequately to discriminate between the two families. He 

 mentions that the trochanters of the posterior supporting legs are 

 fulcrantes (" stutzend") in the Silphidce, simple (" einfach") in the 

 An'isotomidce ; that the middle coxae in the latter are more en- 

 closed in the cavities of the joints ; and that the episterna of the 

 post-pectus (parapleura) are totally, or for the greater part, con- 



* Die Kafer der Mark Brandenburg, Band 1, p. 223. 



t Naturgeschichte der Insecten Deutschlands, Abtb. 1, B. 3, p. 41. 



t Ibid. p. 43. 



