450 INSECTA. 



These Insects remain on the ground, under stones and other 

 bodies. Some — the Scydmseni — frequent wet places. We will unite 

 them in a single genus, that of 



Mastigus. 



Mastigus, Hoff. — Ptinus, Fah. 



Joints of the antennae nearly in the form of a reversed cone, the 

 first very long and the last ones hardly thicker than the others ; the 

 two last joints of the maxillary palpi forming an oval club ; thorax 

 almost ovoid ; abdomen oval *. 



ScYDMJENUs, Lat. Gyll. — Pselaphus, Illig. Payk. — Anthicus, Fah. 



Antennae granose, sensibly inflated towards the extremity, and but 

 slightly geniculate ; maxillary palpi terminated by a very small and 

 pointed joint; thorax nearly globvilar ; the almost ovoid abdomen 

 shorter in proportion than in Mastigus f . 



In all the foll(jxving Clavicornes the head is generally sunk in 

 the thorax, and the maxillary palpi are never at the same time so 

 much projected and clavate ; the ensemble of their physiognomy 

 also exhibits other differences. 



The genus Hister forms our second tribe, which, Avith Baron 

 Paykull, who has so profoundly studied it, we will name the Histe- 

 RoiDEs. Here the four posterior legs are more remote from each 

 other at base than the two anterior, a character alone that distin- 

 guishes this tribe from all others of the same family. The legs 

 are contractile, and the outer side of the tibiae is dentated or 

 spinous. The antennae are always geniculate, and terminated by 

 a solid club composed of crowded joints. The body is extremely 

 fii-m, and usually forms a square or parallelopiped ; the praesternum 

 is frequently dilated anteriorly, and the elytra are as often truncated. 

 The mandibles project, are strong, and frequently unequal as to size. 

 The palpi are almost filiform, or slightly enlarged near the end, 

 and terminated by an oval or ovoid joint. 



In habits, the dentations of their tibiae, and some other characters, 

 these Insects seem to approach the Coprophagi Lamellicornes, but 



* Mastigus palpalis, Lat., Gener. Crast. et Insect., i, 281 ; viii, 5. See Schoenh. 

 Synon. Insect. I, ii, p. 59, and Kliig, Entom. Monog., p. 163. 



■f- Scydmccmis Hehciyii, Fab. ; Notoxus miuutus, Panz., Faun. Insect. Germ. 

 XXIII, 5;— S. Godarti, Lat., I, viii, 6 ;— S. hirticollis 7 Gyll. ;— S. minufus, Id.; 

 Anthicus minufus, Fab. See SchcEnherr, Synon. Insect. I, ii, p. 57. M. Duros, of 

 tbe King's body-guard, who is peculiarly fortunate in discovering small species, 

 has detected the S. clavafus, Gyll., in an Ant-hill near Paris. This fact, with some 

 others, confirms me in my opinion that these Insects, with the Pselaphii, imme- 

 diately follow the Brachelytra, 



