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C A R A B I D &. 



by various authors, since under peculiar'circumstances, 

 of the nature of which we are entirely ignorant, these 

 wingless species, for some purpose or other, are found 

 to possess wings fully developed. On this subject, 

 respecting which our chief authors are at variance, 

 Mr. Stephens justly observes : " The most that can 

 be alleged is, that certain species have a greater ten- 

 dency to be apterous than others, and vice versa, e. g. 

 Omaseus nigrita is generally winged, but I have seve- 

 ral examples lately taken that are perfectly apterous. 

 The same may be added of Achcnium depressum (one 

 of the Staphylinidce), which is said to have mere 

 rudiments of them, whereas the supposed males ap- 

 pear perfectly apterous, and among the females which 

 I have examined are many with rudiments only, 

 others with those appendages of greater bulk, and 

 some with large and ample wings; these latter in- 

 stances are evidently analogous to similar occurrences 

 amongst the hemiptera, such as Hydrometra, Stagno- 

 sum, c., which have also been found with ample 

 ones." Illust. Brit. Ent. Maud. i. p. 178. Our own 

 observations upon BOLBOCERUS (which see) may also 

 be referred to as affording a somewhat analogous 

 instance of superiority of development in certain 

 individuals of the same species. 



The majority of the carabidae emit a fetid odour, 

 and discharge from the extremity of the body an acrid 

 fluid, which, as already stated in BKACHINID.*, is 

 volatilised immediately on coining in contact with the 

 air. By Geoffroy, as stated in our article BUFRES- 

 TIDJE, these insects were regarded as the buprestes of 

 the ancients, but which, from their stimulating powers, 

 must rather have belonged to the family Caniharidce. 



These insects particularly inhabit the elevated 

 regions of the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and 

 America. Their chief metropolis appears to be in 

 Europe, although in England we scarcely possess 

 more than 400 species. Those of the restricted 

 genus Carabus disappear as we approach the tropics 

 whilst those of Calosoma, notwithstanding their evident 

 affinity with the latter, reach even to the equator ; our 

 observations upon this latter genus being thus amply 

 confirmed. The species of another group nearly 

 allied to the true carabi, Procrustes, appear to have 

 established themselves in the countries washed by 

 the Mediterranean, where likewise commences the 

 region of the large brachini and scarites, which stretch 

 to the equatorial countries, as well as certain species 

 of Graphipterus, Anthia* &c., genera considered as 

 more peculiar to Africa and the eastern parts of Asia. 



These insects hide themselves beneath stones, the 

 bark of trees, moss, &c. ; other species frequent the 

 margins of water or damp situations, whilst others, as 

 some of the carabi, pterostichi, and helobiae, frequent 

 mountainous regions ; thus in the course of the last 

 autumn we found numerous specimens of several of 

 our rare British species within a few feet of the 

 highest peak of Snowdon. 



No group of insects has hitherto undergone so 

 complete an investigation as the present. Paykul), 

 Illiger, Weber, Clairville, Bonelli, Panzer, and Sturm, 

 having devoted considerable attention to its elucida- 

 tion, whilst more recently the descriptive work of 

 Dejean, extending through six thick octavo volumes, 

 will prove the assiduity of this author. 



The following are the chief divisions, or as we 

 would term them subfamilies, into which these insects 

 are divisible first, those with the anterior tibise 

 notched. 



1. Bracftiiiides, having the elytra iquared off at the 



extremity. 



2. Scaratides having the elytra rounded behind and 



the abdomen pedunculated. 



3. Harpalides having the elytra rounded, the abdo- 



men not pedunculated, and the two last joints 

 of the palpi equal. 



4. BembidOdft, distinguished from the last by the 



minute conical terminal joint of the outer 

 palpi. 

 Secondly, those with the anterior tibiae not notched. 



5. Carabides, having the antennae long and slender. 



6. Elaphrides, having the antennae very short and 



stout. 



Confining ourselves to the fifth of these groups, we 

 find the carabides distinguished not only by the two 

 characters above mentioned, but by the comparatively 

 large size, brilliant metallic colouring, and extremely 

 active and carnivorous habits of the species, as well 

 as by the lower lip being small and conical, with 

 lateral setce or paraglossae, the jaws very robust, and 

 the large hatchet or spoon-shaped terminal joint of 

 the external palpi, the eyes are prominent, and the 

 abdomen in general large. Hence the terms abdo- 

 minales and grandipalpi have been applied by 

 Latreille to this section. The species are in general 

 destitute of wings. The genera are Pamborus, Cychrns, 

 Scaphinotus, Sphreroderus, Tefflus, Procerus, Pro- 

 crustes, Carabus, Calosoma, Nebria, Helobia, Alpeeus, 

 Leistus, and Omophron. Those printed in italics are 

 British genera. 



The genus Carabus, notwithstanding the very re- 

 stricted manner in which it is now regarded, is still a 

 group of great extent, containing upwards of 160 

 species, of which nearly twenty are natives of our own 

 country. They are generically distinguished by the 

 dilated tarsi of the males, the bilobed upper lip, the 

 absence of wings, the smooth jaws, and the entire 

 tooth in the centre of the mental notch. The majo- 

 rity of the British species have the elytra soldered 

 together, whilst Carabus cancellatus has them capable 

 of motion, and is furnished with rudimental wings. 

 Considerable confusion has arisen in the nomencla- 

 ture of the British species. 



C. clathratns. 



Amongst the rarer indigenous species of this genus 

 is the C. clathratns of Linnaeus, a very handsome spe- 

 cies, about an inch long, of a dark greenish brassy 

 colour, with three elevated ridges upon each elytra, 

 between each of which is a row of very deep golden 

 excavations. It has been found in Norfolk and 

 Scotland, but it occurs more plentifully in the neigh- 



