Malachiina.] SERRICORXIA. 155 



angles of thorax, and the sides of the first abdominal segment ; the 

 abdomen is composed of six distinct ventral segments ; the antennae are 

 filiform or moniliform, sometimes slightly serrate, especially at base ; the 

 species are in many cases very brightly coloured, and are found on 

 herbage and flowers, usually in damp or marshy situations. 



L Antennae inserted on the front almost between the 



eyes, 

 i. Male with the second joint of anterior tarsi not 



produced ; size larger MALACHIUS, F. 



ii. Male with the second joint of anterior tarsi ob- 

 liquely produced at apex ; size smaller AxisoTARsrs, Mots. 



II. Antennas inserted on the sides of front ANTHOCOMUS, Er. 



DXAXiACHXUS, Fabricius. 



This genus in its widest sense contains considerably more than a 

 hundred species, of which about fifty occur in Europe ; the remainder 

 are chiefly found in the Mediterranean region, Northern Asia, and North 

 America ; scarcely any are inhabitants of tropical countries, although 

 two or three have been described from Ceylon and South Africa ; four 

 species of the genus proper are found in Britain, which may be distin- 

 guished as follows : 



LI. Elytra .orange-red with a common longitudinal green 



band, reaching from scu tell urn towards apex . . . M. -EXErs, L. 

 II. Elytra green with apex "orange-red, 

 i. Thorax transverse, green with extreme border of 



anterior angles often red M. BIFUSTULATUB, L. 



ii. Thorax not or scarcely transverse. 



1. Thorax unicolorous green M. TIEIDI8, F. 



2. Thorax green or blackish-green with yellowish- 

 red border at sides M. MABGIXBLLUB, Ol. 



The formation of the antennae in the male is, in many cases, very 

 extraordinary, and the apex of the elytra in the same sex sometimes 

 presents striking modifications ; in fact, owing to these peculiarities, the 

 sexes have sometimes been described by older writers as distinct species ; 

 the processes of the antenna! joints are evidently used by the male for 

 holding the antennae of the female during coupling, and answer in some 

 sense to the suckers of the male Dytiscidax 



M. eeneus, L. Rather broad, clothed with fine whitish pubescence, 

 and besides this with long black outstanding hairs ; head and thorax 

 bronze-green, the former with the front yellow, the latter with the 

 anterior angles orange-red ; antennae rather stout, green with the under- 

 side of the first three joints reddish (more plainly so in male than in 

 female) ; head large and broad, thorax transverse, with all the angles 

 rounded, smooth and shining, impressed near posterior angles ; scutellum 

 transverse ; elytra dull, feebly rugose, orange-red with a long triangular 

 common band reaching from base to beyond middle, and sometimes 

 almost to apex ; under-side bronze-green, epiuiera of mcsothorax 



