THE PSEUDOTRIMERA. 231 



in old cellars) and Symbiotes latus (larger, wider, rarer, 

 and found in rotten wood), both gregarious, are by 

 some authors placed in the Lathridiadce, and by others in 

 the Cryptophagidce ; and Alexia pilifera, small, round, 

 globose, set with delicate but distinct hairs, strongly 

 punctured, but with no lateral impressions to its thorax, 

 commonly found in moss, is sometimes associated with 

 the Coccinellid<K, and at others eliminated from all com- 

 panionship, as an insect whose true position cannot be 

 ascertained. 



The CORYLOPIHD.E (placed by continental authors 

 with the two next families, between AgafMdium and 

 Scaphidium in the Necrophaga) comprise several minute 

 insects of very difficult location, and not conspicuous, 

 except for their small size. 



Their head is small (except in Clambus and its allies) 

 and retractile ; their antennae clavate at the apex ; their 

 thorax margined at the sides ; their elytra wide, generally 

 obtuse at the apex, and not covering the sides of the 

 abdomen ; their intermediate coxae rather and the pos- 

 terior very widely separated ; and the first segment of 

 their abdomen large. 



The species occur in refuse heaps, cut grass, etc., and 

 are difficult to preserve in good condition on account of 

 their small size and feeble structure. 



Cory tophus cassidoides (Plate XVI, Fig. 1), often 

 abundant on the coast, has its thorax red, and more or 

 less dark in the middle. 



The genera Clambus and Comazus, the members of 

 which very closely resemble small species of Agathidium 

 in the Anisotomida, appear to be very difficult to place 

 in any arrangement. As far as external likeness goes 

 they might well be considered as allied to that genus, 



