358 1NSECTA. 



perfect Insect Their body is flattened, and consists of twelve segments, with 

 acute posterior angles; the posterior extremity is narrower 'and terminated by 

 two conical appendages. 



ARGYRTES, Freeh MYCETOPHAGUS, Fabricius. 



The body tolerably thick, convex, and arcuated superiorly, not scutiform ; 

 thorax somewhat wider than long, and a little narrower before; exterior 

 margin of the elytra inclined and not canaliculated, last joint of the maxillary 

 palpi thicker and ovoid. 



Certain Clavicornes, which seem to approach Argyrtes in their habits and 

 other characters, but whose mandibles are cleft or bidentated at the extremity, 

 will compose our fourth tribe, that of the SCAPHIDITES. Their tarsi consist of 

 five very distinct and entire joints. The body is oval, narrowed at both ends, 

 arcuated or convex above, and thick in the middle; the head low, and received 

 posteriorly into a trapezoidal thorax, widest behind, the margin of which is but 

 slightly or not at all recurved. The antenna? are usually at least as long as 

 the head and thorax, and terminated in a quadriarticulated and elongated club. 

 The last joint of the palpi is conical. The legs are elongated and slender. 

 With the exception of some species the Cholevse the tarsi are nearly similar 

 in both sexes. 



This tribe consists of the genus 



SCAPHIDIUM. 



In the true Scaphidia, the five last joints of the antenna are almost globular, 

 and compose the club. The maxillary palpi project but little, and gradu- 

 ally taper to a point, the penultimate joint not being thicker than the last 

 at their junction. The body is navicelliform ; the margin of the thorax 

 slightly recurred, and the elytra truncated. They inhabit mushrooms. 

 But few species are known; one from Cayenne and the rest from the north 

 of Europe. 



The subgenera are Choleva and Mylcechut. 



The fifth tribe, or that of the NmnuLAitiJi, approximates to the fourth in 

 the scutiform and bordered body, but the mandibles are bifid or emarginated at 

 the extremity ; the tarsi seem to consist of but four joints, the first and last, in 

 some, being only visible beneath, where they merely form a slight projection, 

 and the penultimate in the remainder being very small, in the form of a knot, 

 enclosed between the lobes of the preceding ones. The antennal club is always 

 perfoliaceous, consists of three or four joints, and is usually short or but little 

 elongated. 



The palpi are short and filiform, or somewhat thickest at the extremity. 

 The elytra in several are short or truncated. The legs are but slightly elon- 

 gated, and their tibiae frequently widened at the end; the tarsi are furnished 

 with hairs or pellets. The habitation of these Insects varies with the species ; 

 they arc found on flowers, in mushrooms, putrefied meat, and under the bark 

 of trees. They form the genus 



