HYDROPHILUS. HYDROPHIL. 



Generic Character. 



Antenrue clavate-perfoliate. 

 Hind-Legs villose, formed 

 for swimminof. 



Pedes postici villosi, nata- 



torii. 



X HIS genus differs from that of Dytiscus only 

 in the structure of the antennae, which, instead of 

 being setaceous, are short, and furnished with a 

 cla vated and perfoliated tip or knob. 



The principal European species, which is not 

 an uncommon insect in our own country, is the 

 Hydrophilus piceus, perhaps the largest of the 

 British Coleoptera, if we except the Lucanus 

 Cervus; measuring nearly an inch and half in 

 length. It is entirely black, and of a smooth sur- 

 face, and is particularly distinguished by the form 

 of its thorax, which is produced beneath into a 

 very long and sharp-pointed spine, stretching to 

 a considerable distance down the abdomen: the 

 hind-legs are furnished on each side with strong, 

 but very fine hairs, as in the Dytisci, which the 

 animal resembles in its manners. It is a native 

 of stagnant waters, where its larva is principally 



