86 



CHAPTEE VI. 

 COLEOPTEEA. (Continued.) 



THE second large Section of beetles is HETEROMERA, 

 subdivided first into TRACHELIA (rpa\r\\o^, trachelos, a 

 neck), beetles with an apparent throat connecting the 

 head and thorax; secondly, ATRACHELIA (a, ivithout), 

 beetles with the head sunk up to the eyes in the 

 thorax. 



Most of the TRACHELIA are showy in colouring and 

 active in their movements ; the wing-cases are usually 

 wider than the thorax, and flexible, in this resembling 

 some of the serrate-horned pentamerous beetles, as the 

 Soldiers and Sailors. The antenua3 vary, being usually 

 rather long and thread-like, sometimes serrate, or 

 branched, and sometimes inclining to clavate. The last 

 joint of the tarsus is widened and divided into two lobes 

 in many of the Trachelia, while it is always simple in 

 the Atrachelia. The perfect insects are vegetable feeders, 

 and are generally to be found in flowers. 



The Cardinal, a handsome red beetle, nearly three- 

 quarters of an inch long, with serrate antennae, is a 

 common and conspicuous example of this subdivision. 

 It is frequently found on ferns and other plants in May 

 and June. There are two English species, Pyrochroa 

 rubens, which is entirely red above (PL III., fig. b), and 

 P. coccinea, which is red \vith a black head. 



The " Spanish fly," or Cantharis of the Pharmaco- 



