Si-rricornia.] SERRICORNIA. 63 



distinct suture ; antenna- nearly always serrate or poctiimte, inserted on 

 tin- fun-head between tli'- l'i-f "t' the mandibles; prosternuin produced 

 into a spino or process received in a cavity on the mesosternum ; anterior 

 coxae globose, distant; posterior coxae, transverse, and immovable, 

 receiving the femora ; elytra, as a rule, more or less plainly sinuate 

 behind the posterior coxae, usually striate; anterior coxal cavities open 

 behind ; tarsi plainly 5-jointed ; abdomen composed of five segments, 

 the .interior two being often connate. 



HXalacodermata. Integument soft and flexible ; upper surface 

 pubescent or pilose, never glabrous ; form variable, but usually more or 

 less elongate 1 and narrow, sometimes, however (as in Cyphon and Scirtes) 

 short ovate or sub-hemispherical ; size variable, but usually moderately 

 large ; head often large, with the eyes strongly projecting ; antennae 

 nearly always long, tiliform, serrate, or gradually thickened towards 

 apex, rarely (e.g. Corynetes) with a distinct club ; prosternum at most 

 produced into a point, but never produced into a spine or process 

 received in a fovea of the mesosternum ; anterior coxae conical, very 

 rarely subcylindrical, exserted, always contiguous at apex, which is 

 somewhat prominent ; posterior coxae, as a rule, contiguous ; anterior 

 coxal cavities nearly always open behind; tarsi usually five-jointed ; 

 elytra rarely striate ; abdomen composed of six or seven, rarely five, free 

 segments. 



Ptinoidea. Integument, as a rule, hard, or moderately hard ; form 

 very variable ; size usually small, sometimes minute ; thorax very often 

 like a hood or cowl, covering, or partly covering, the head ; ante-mire 

 filiform, sometimes serrate, sometimes with a loosely-formed club ; 

 mandibles stout ; prosternum short, not produced behind ; anterior 

 coxae not rounded, usually short-conical and more or less exserted ; pos- 

 terior coxae transverse ; anterior coxal cavities, as a rule, open behind 

 (but closed in the Cissidae and in Lyctus) ; tarsi five-jointed (four jointed 

 in the Cissidae) ; abdomen composed of five segments, the first of which 

 is much elongate in the Lyctidae, and to a less extent in the Cissidae and 

 Sphindidae. As, however, the adoption of these divisions is much 

 objected to by some authorities, it may be the best course to proceed 

 according to the plan already adopted with the Clavicomia (vol. iii. 

 pp. 2 8), and arrange the Serricornia in families, giving the chief 

 characteristics of each, which taken in conjunction with the characters 

 above mentioned for the three groups, may perhaps enable the student 

 to identify his genera with some approach to accuracy. 



STERNOXI. 



Buprestldee. Head vertical, with the mandibles short and stout, 

 inserted into the thorax as far as the eyes, which are very large, ellipti- 

 cal, and never emarginate ; antennje inserted upon the front, short, 



