CHAPTER V. 



COLEOPTERA. 

 (Beetles.) 



BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF CHARACTERS OF THE ORDER. 



THE Coleoptera or beetles are insects furnished with a biting mouth, the 



biting jaws being known as mandibles; the lower lip is divided medianly. 



The insects appear to be 



hard, horny, scale-like 



closely together down the 



membranous wings are 



distinguished from other 



of the insect is covered with 



this enclosing the insect as 



- el. 



CL* 



sc 



-- vv. 



py 



a 



FIG. 28. Longicorn beetle (Batocera). Dorsal view with wings out- 

 spread, v, vertex ; o, occiput ; a 1 to a 11 , joints of antennae ; n 1 2 s 

 prothorax, mesothorax, metathorax ; el, elytron ; w, wing ; sc, 

 scutellum ; i, 2 to 7. abdominal segments ; py, pygidium. 



wingless, the back being covered by 

 structures termed the elytra, which fit 

 centre. Beneath these elytra a pair of 

 usually present. Beetles are readily 

 insects owing to the fact that the whole 

 a hard horny substance known as chitin, 

 it were in armour. The general shape 



is spherical, flat 

 or otherwise, to 

 long linear. 



On the head 

 the m andi bles 

 are usually well 

 developed ; the 

 eyes are com- 

 pound, and often 

 divided into two 

 parts, or they may 

 be reniform in 

 shape; the anten- 

 nae are el even (or 

 fewer) or twelve 

 jointed, the joints 

 varying in shape 

 and length. At 

 times, as in the 

 Buprestidae, the 

 faces of the 

 joints may be 

 set with porifer- 

 ous pits. The 

 antennae are 

 of importance in 

 the classifica- 

 tion of the order, 



as are also the 



