22 INSECTA. 



disions may retain the name of Melolonthida, and the other receive 

 that of Hoplidce. 



The first may be described as follows : — The number of perfect 

 leaflets of the club exceeding three in several. The body extremely 

 thick. Mandibles stout, AvhoUy or mostly corneous, presenting at 

 most a membranous and pilose appendage, situated in a cavity or 

 emargination of the inner side ; the superior extremity strongly 

 truncated with two or three teeth or angular projections. All the 

 tarsi terminated by two crotchets ; the first joint of the two anterior 

 ones not prolonged inferiorly into a hooked appendage. Labrum 

 usually apparent. Maxillary teeth robust. 



In those species of the Melolonthidse, Fab., which compose the sub- 

 genus 



Melolontha, Fab. 



Or Melolontha properly so called, the antennae consist of ten joints, 

 of which in the males, the last six or seven, and in the females, the 

 last six or four, form the club. The labrum is thick and strongly 

 emarginated beneath. All the hooks of the tarsi are eqvial, terminate 

 in an entire point, and are sim2)ly unidentate at base. The posterior 

 extremity of the abdomen most commonly ends in a point or stylet, at 

 least in the males. 



Of those species in which the antennal club is composed of seven 

 leaflets in the males, and of six in the females, we will mention 



M. fullo ; ScarabcFiis fullo, L. ; Oliv., Col. I, 5, iii, 28. About 

 an inch and a half long ; broAvn or blackish ; three lines on the 

 thorax, two white ovoid spots on the scutcllum, and several 

 other irregular ones on the elytra. The antennal club of the 

 male is very large. Found near the sea coast on the Downs. 



M. vulgaris; S. melolontha, L. ; Oliv., lb., I. 1, a — d*. 

 Black; hairy; the antennae, anterior margin of the epistoma, 

 elytra and greater part of the feet reddish-bay ; thorax some- 

 what dilated and marked with an impression near the middle of 

 its lateral edges, sometimes black, and sometimes red ; four ele- 

 vated lines on the elytra, whose oviter margin is the colour of the 

 ground ; triangular white spots on the sides of the abdomen ; 

 the anal stylet tapering insensibly to a point. 



31. kippocastani. Fab. ; Oliv., lb., I, 3, a, b, c. This Insect, 

 formerly confounded with the vulgaris, is rather smaller, shorter 

 and more convex; the elytra are margined with black, and the 

 anal stylet is proportionably shorter and contracted before the 

 extremity Avhich thus appears broad and obtuse. 



* While this -work was in press, that of M. Straus on the anatomy of the M. 

 vulgaris was presented to the Acad. Royale des Sciences, at whose expense it was 

 published. We sincerely regret that we had not time to profit by this excellent 

 work. M. Leon Dufour had already made us acquainted with every thing relative 

 to the system of digestion and the organs of generation, M. Chabrier has also de- 

 scribed and figured with great exactness the muscles of the wings and the thorax. 

 M. Straus has completely supplied all other deficiencies. 



