020 



BRACHINID^E BRACHIONUS. 



upper lip is divided by a deep slit in the centre into 

 two lobes. 



Genera : 1 , Oxyporus, Fabricius ; 2, Aslrapeeus, 

 Gravcnhorst ; 3, Velleius, Leach ; 4, Crcophilus, 

 Kirby ; 5, Emiis, Leach ; 6, Staphylimis, Linnaeus ; 

 7, Cafius, Leach ; 8, Pliysetops, Mannerheim, new 

 genus, from Tartary ; 9, Gyrohypnus, Kirby ; 10, 

 Eulissus, Mannerheim, new genus, from Brazil ; 11, 

 Platyprosopus, Mannerheim, new genus, from Cau- 

 casus ; 12, Lathrobium, Gravenhorst ; 13, Cryptobium, 

 Mannerheim, new genus, from Sweden ; l4,Achcnium, 

 Leach. 



Tribe 2. STENIDES (Longipalpi, Latreille). 



The head is disengaged, but the labrum is not 

 notched ; the palpi are as long as the head, terminated 

 in a club at the extremity of the third joint, the fourth 

 being very minute. 



Genera : 1, Pcederus, Fabricius ; 2, Rugilus, Leach ; 

 3, Eristketus, Knoch ; 4, Dianous, Leach ; 5, Stenus, 

 Latreille. 



Tribe 3. OXYTELIDES (Denticrura, Latreille). 



The palpi are much shorter than the head, with 

 four distinct joints ; the anterior tibiae toothed or 

 spinose on the outside ; the tarsi fold back upon the 

 tibiae, with the basal joints minute, or even obliterated ; 

 the last joint very long. 



Genera : 1, Bledius, Leach ; 2, Platystethus, Man- 

 nerheim, new genus (Oxytelus cornutus, Gyll, &c.) ; 

 3, Oxytelus, Gravenhorst ; 4, Trogophleeus, Man- 

 nerheim, new genus (Oxytelus corticinus, Graven- 

 horst). 



Tribe 4. OMALIDES (Deprcssa, Latreille). 



The head is disengaged, the lip entire, the palpi 

 short and four-jointed ; but the tibiae are simple and 

 unarmed, and the tarsi evidently five-jointed. 



Genera : 1, Pldococharis, Mannerheim, new genus, 

 from Finland ; 2, Tcenosoma, Mannerheim, new 

 genus, from Russia ; 3, Onialium, Gravenhorst ; 4, 

 Anthoblum, Leach ; 5, Acidota, Kirby ; 6, Lcslcva, 

 Latreille ; 7, Proteinus, Latreille ; 8, Micropcplus, 

 Latreille. 



Tribe 5. TACHINIDES (Microccphali, Latreille). 



The head is immersed as far as the eyes in the 

 thorax, upper lip rounded, legs spiny, antennae in- 

 serted in front of the eyes. 



Genera : 1, Hypochyptus, Schuppell ; 2, Tachypo- 

 rus, Gravenhorst ; 3, Tacldmis, Gravenhorst ; 4, 

 Mycetopoms, Mannerheim, new genus, from Sweden ; 

 5, Boletobius, Leach. 



Tribe 6. ALEOCHARIDES, Mannerheim. 



Lip entire, squared in front ; legs not spined ; 

 antennae inserted beneath the eyes ; head sometimes 

 having a distinct neck. 



Genera: 1, Dlnarda, Leach; 2, Lomechusa, 

 Gravenhorst ; 3, Gymnusa, Karsten ; 4, Aleockara, 

 Knoch ; 5, Sp/iccnoma, Mannerheim ; G, Oxypoda, 

 Mannerheim ; 7, Microccra, Mannerheim ; 8, Oligota, 

 Mannerheim; 9, Trichopkya, Mannerheim; 10, 

 Homalola, Mannerheim; II, Gyrophccna, Manner- 

 heim; 12, Bolelochara, Mannerheim; 13, Drusilla, 

 Leach; 14, Cahdcra, Mannerheim; 15, Falagna, 

 Leach ; 16, Alitalia, Leach. 



Tribe 7. PSILAPHIDES. 



This tribe is not comprised in Count Manncrhcim's 

 work. Reference must be had to M. Aube's Memoir, 

 recently published in Paris, upon this tribe. 



BRACHINIDyE (Mac Lcay ; TRUNCATIPENNES 

 Latreille). A family of coleopterous insects, belong- 

 ing to the section Pentamera, and separated from 

 the great Linmean group of Carabus, In this family, 



which comprises numerous and very differently con- 

 structed insects, the maxillary palpi are not termi- 

 nated by a minute conical joint, as in the Bembidiidce ; 

 the anterior tibiue are not entire and without a notch, 

 as in the Cat-abides; the anterior tarsi arc not dilated 

 in the males, as in the Haiyalidee ; and the fore legs 

 are not formed for burrowing, nor the thorax separated 

 from the elytra by a sort of neck, as in the Scunlldte. 

 A character which is found in the more typical genera 

 is to have the elytra squared off at the extremity, 

 whence Latreille's name ; but there are many of the 

 genera in which they do not exhibit this structure. 

 The head and thorax are narrower than the elytra, 

 and the labium is seldom accompanied by lateral 

 filaments. 



Many of the species are much more elegantly 

 ornamented with various colours than the majority of 

 the Linnaean Carabi, and the species do not appear to 

 be so voracious in their habits as the ScaHtidee, Har- 

 palidce, &c. Of the habits of the exotic species, how- 

 ever, but little is known. The British species of some 

 of the genera (as Odacantha, Polyslichm, <Scc.) frequent 

 sandy districts on the sea-shore, or the meres of 

 Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire ; others, as the 

 Brachini, prefer damp situations on the margins of 

 rivers, &c., whilst some are generally found in gravel 

 pits or beneath the bark of trees, as the Drotiiii, some 

 of which hybernate in the latter situation. We have 

 already, under the article BOMBARDIER BKETLE, 

 given an account of the habits of the genus Brachinut. 

 Many of the species are destitute of wings. 



Messrs. Audouin and Brulle, jn their valuable 

 " Histoire Naturellc des Insectes" (of which the publi- 

 cation in parts has recently commenced), have divided 

 this family into six minor divisions. 1, Trigonodac- 

 tylicns ; 2, Odacanthiens ; 3, Zup/ticns ; 4, Lcbicns ; 

 5, Bracliinlcns ; and 6, Graphiptcricns. 



The Brach'miens are distinguished by their short 

 filiform palpi, and the convexity of their bodies. In 

 this division are placed the genera Brachinus, Weber ; 

 Aplinus, Bouelli ; Pseudaptimts, Laporte ; and Corsyra^ 

 Steven. The first of these (which is the only genus 

 found in this country) is distinguished by the presence 

 of a pair of large wings beneath the elytra, and by 

 the mentum having a deep notch without any central 

 tooth. The claws are not toothed, and the body is 

 thick and convex, with the elytra but slightly truncate. 

 There are five British species of this genus, of which 

 the type Brach-crepitans, Linnaeus, is the most com- 

 mon and best known. 



BRACH1ONUS. One of those singularly inte- 

 resting genera of microscopic animals discovered in 

 infusions of vegetable or animal matter, therefore 

 named by Linnaeus Infusoria, and by that great natu- 

 ralist placed in the fifth order of the class Zoophyla, 

 forming the last division of the animal kingdom. 

 The brachionus is nearly invisible, or only appears as 

 a moving atom ; its motions are various ; it is seen to 

 attack, or fly from an cneni}', and in a second volun- 

 tarily to change its shape, being constantly occupied in 

 search of food, or performing its other animal func- 

 tions ; the body is highly contractile, covered with a 

 shell with rotatory cilia, and in many the internal 

 structure is visible. The burccolaris is the only 

 species yet described ; it is found most frequently in 

 stagnant waters. 



The prodigious improvements microscopes have 

 undergone in their construction, and the power given 

 them by the application of the united flame of hydro 

 and oxygen gases, have led to discoveries in the animal 



