120 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



THE family of the Cleridae are mostly beautiful 

 insects, and although they are not large, some of 

 them rank among our prettiest Beetles. The body is 

 oblong, hard, and covered with down, and the head 

 and thorax are not as wide as the elytra. The genus 

 Clerus is known by several points of structure. The 

 basal joint of the tarsus is very minute, the last joint 

 of the labial palpi is hatchet-shaped, and the last 

 joint of the antennae is large, rounded, and furnished 

 with a curious projecting point directed inwards. 



In their larval state these Beetles are carnivorous 

 and parasitic on other insects. We can take one ex- 

 ample of this pretty genus only, named Clerus formi- 

 carius, which is shown in the accompanying woodcut. 

 The head of this insect is black, and the thorax brick- 

 red, the front margin being black. The elytra are 

 very boldly coloured, their ground hue 

 being black crossed by two snow-white 

 bands, shaped as seen in the illustration, 

 and their base is of the same colour as 

 the thorax. The larva is found under 

 the bark of trees, not to eat the wood 

 or bark, but to destroy and feed upon 

 the larvae of wood-boring Beetles. Its 

 colour is dark-pink, spotted in front. 



Clerus formicarius. r^-, r c _/> 



I he specific name 01 jonmcartus is 

 given to this Beetle because it has an ant-like 

 aspect. 



THE, reader will remember that the larva of the 

 first example of the Cleridae feeds on those of certain 

 wood-boring Beetles. We now come to one of the 



