THE RHYNCHOPHORA, OR WEEVILS. 179 



occurring sparingly in the north, where it is replaced 

 by B. varius, which is not so brightly coloured, and very 

 rare in the south. The larvae of hoth of these species 

 appear to be parasitic upon Cocci. 



The species of Tropideres are of great rarity here; 

 though sometimes beaten out of dry dead hedges, or 

 taken from rotten wood ; they somewhat resemble the 

 next-mentioned insect in miniature, but have the basal 

 joint of the tarsi much longer in proportion. 



Platyrhinus, a large, exceedingly broad, flat, strong, 

 black-brown-and-white mottled insect, occurs rarely 

 here, and chiefly in the western counties (being not un- 

 common near Cheltenham) ; it lives upon Sphceria, and 

 other fungi growing on ash-trees, etc., burrowing also 

 in the rotten wood, or lurking under loose bark, and 

 having a particularly comical way of elevating itself by 

 its front legs, though usually of sedate appearance. 



The little Choragus Sheppardi is peculiar, on account 

 of its power of jumping, although its hind femora are not 

 widened. It is beaten out of dead hedge-sticks at Deal, 

 Southend, Wickham, and elsewhere. Through its curious 

 appearance this insect has been at different times con- 

 sidered as allied to Cryptocephalus, Cis, and Anobium. 



The ATTELABID^E have the head elongated between 

 the eyes, the rostrum more or less robust and enlarged 

 in front ; the antennae straight and clubbed ; the pygi- 

 dium exposed ; either the first two or four segments of 

 the abdomen soldered together, and separated by fine 

 straight sutures; the hooks of the tarsi soldered; and 

 the tibiae armed at the apex (according to sex) with 

 either one or two spurs. 



We possess but two genera, Attelabus and Apoderus ; 

 the single species of each of which is red, and common 



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