FAMILY LAMPYRID^. 80 



Lampyridse. 



The glowworms and fireflies constitute a part of this interesting family of insects. Their 

 bodies are elongated and greatly depressed, and soft : the elongation affects the abdomen, 

 the thorax and head being very short, and the latter concealed in the former. The females 

 ue sometimes destitute of wings. Their colors are dull, though a considerable variety 

 exists, and the markings of the thorax are very peculiar, the ornamental colors consisting 

 of red and yellow combined with black. They are said to be voracious, and feeders upon 

 flesh, subsisting upon snails, etc. When alarmed, they fold up their antennae and feet, and 

 remain motionless : if disturbed, they fall into the grass or leaves. They are common on 

 fences and walls during the summer and spring. Some species fly into the windows at 

 night, being attracted by the light of the candle. 



The family is characterized anatomically by the different authors as having filiform or 

 serrated antenna, with compressed joints ; the penultimate joint of the tarsi bilobed ; the 

 pai'ts of the mouth small : mandible small, acute and curved. 



GeKus LAMPYRIS (Lin.). 



' Head not rostrated, covered by thorax : females apterous : mandibles entire ' ( West- 

 wood). 



Lampyris nigricans (Knoch). ( Plate xxi, fig. 3.) 



' Brownish black : thorax with a rufous spot each side within the margin ' ( Say). 

 The margin of the thorax appears wetted, and the thorax is edged with brownish. 



Lampyris scintillans. ( Plate xxi, fig. 5.) 



Disk of the thorax rufous, with an angular brown spot in the centre ; border yellow : 

 elytra brown, bordered with yellow. 



Lampyris angulata. ( Plate xxi, fig. 4.) 



Color pale fuscous, the darker indistinctly defined. Thorax marked with an angular and 



pointed patch of brown on its posterior part, and surrounded with rufous : sides of 



the brown anterior part furnished with a pair of oval yellowish spots. Elytra brown, 



bordered with yellow. 



Lampyris laticornis. ( Plate xxi, fig. 2.) 



Antennae conspicuous and compressed. Thorax ornamented with an oval central black 

 spot, pointed before, and bordered with rufous ; margin pale yellow : beneath, the 

 colors correspond to those above. Elytra plain dull black, black beneath. Length 

 one-fourth of an inch. 

 [AoaicuLTUEAL Repoet — Vol. v.] 12 



