472 INSECTA. 



mity of the head is not abruptly narrowed, and the base of the 

 thorax is as wide as that of the elytra *. In 



Berosus, Leach, 



On the contrary, the eyes are very prominent, the anterior extre- 

 mity of the head is narrowed abrujttly, and the base of the thorax is 

 narrower than that of the elytra. The body is very convex f. 



Our second tribe, or the Sph.'eridiota, consists of terrestrial Pal- 

 picornes, with tarsi composed of five very distinct joints, the first 

 of which is at least as long as the second. The maxillary palpi are 

 somewhat shorter than the antennae, with the third joint longer, 

 inflated, and in the form of a reversed cone. The maxillary lobes 

 are membranous. 



The body is nearly hemispherical, tlie posterior extremity of the 

 praesternum is prolonged into a point, and the tibise are spinous ; 

 those that are anterior are palmatcd or digitated in the large species. 

 The antennpe always consist of nine joints, or of eight, if the last be 

 considered as an aj)pendage of the penultimate \. 



These Insects are small, and inhabit cOAV-dung and other excre- 

 mentitious matters; certain species are found near the shores of 

 rivers, &c. They compose the genus 



Sph.eridium, Fah. 



From which, however, we must separate several species, a division 

 already eft'ected by Olivier. Dr. Leach only considers as such those 

 in Avhich the anterior tarsi of the males are dilated. Such is 



S. A-maculatum ; Dermesles scarahceoides, L. ; Oliv., Col. 



II, '15, 1 and 3, II, 11. It is of a shining black and smooth; 



the scutcUum is elongated, raid the legs are very spinous ; a 



blood-red spot at the base of each elytron, and their extremity 



reddish. In some individuals these spots diminish or disappear. 



The species, in which the tarsi are similar in both sexes, and 



whose antennal club is closely imbricated, compose the genus Cer- 



cydion^ of Leach. The Sphceridia might be divided into several 



other sections by characters drawn from the form of the tibiae, and 



the disposition of their spines or dentations, a division which would 



facilitate the study of the species, that seem to have been improperly 



multiplied II . 



* The Hydrobii scarahceoides, melanocephalus, orbicularis, &c. 



t H. luridus, Fab. 



X See Elater and several other genera of the Coleoptera. 



§ The Sphajriclia itnipunctatum, melunocephahim, &c. ; Zool., Miscell., Ill, p. 95. 



II For the other species, see Olivier, Schcenherr, Gyllenhal, Dejean, &c. 



END OF VOL. m. 



