218 LON'GICORSIA. [1'riunidte. 



PRIONIDJE. 



This family contains upwards of two hundred genera and a large 

 number of species ; in Europe, however, only half-a-dozen genera, 

 represented by eight species, have been discovered ; of these one species 

 only is found in Britain ; it is, however, one of our most conspicuous insects ; 

 the Prionidae contain some of the largest of the Coleoptera ; thoy are 

 distinguished by their connate and obsolete labrum, margined thorax, and 

 produced prosternum; the anterior coxae are transverse and distant, with 

 the cavities open behind, and are furnished with linear trochantins; the 

 mandibles are strong, incurved at apex; the thorax is somewhat indis- 

 tinctly margined, and is strongly spined at sides; the femora are long 

 and not clavate; the general form is large and more or less depressed, 

 the elytra being as a rule somewhat coriaceous in appearance; the first 

 segment of the abdomen is not or scarcely longer than the second; the 

 first three joints of the tarsi are broad, and are strongly pubescent on 

 their under-side. 



PRIONTJS, Geoffroy. 



This genus contains about thirty species, which are rather widely dis- 

 tributed, species occurring in Siberia, China, Japan, and Central Asia, 

 and also in North America from Canada southwards, and the Australian 

 region ; it does not appear to be a tropical genus ; three species are found 

 in Europe. 



The transformations of P. conarius are figured and described by Rosel, 

 quoted by West wood (Classification, i. 362) ; the larva is of a white 

 colour, broad and rather flat, and gradually and somewhat strongly 

 narrowed tosvards apex; the head is moderately large, and is capable of 

 being considerably retracted into the prothorax, which is large, being 

 longer than the meso- and metathorax together ; the mandibles are very 

 strong and powerful ; the ocelli are obsolete ; the legs and antennae are 

 very short; the abdominal segments are furnished with fleshy tubercles 

 which are used for locomotion; the anal appendage is simple. When 

 full fed this larva forms a large cocoon, chiefly composed of chips of 

 gnawed wood, in which it passes the pupal state ; before changing it 

 bores its hole close towards the outer surface of the tree, that the perfect 

 insect may easily make its escape ; it is found in oak, beech, horse- 

 chestnut, ash, &c. 



P. coriarius, L. A very large and conspicuous species, oblong, 

 rather depressed, slightly shiny, without pubescence on upper side, of 

 a pitchy black or dark pitchy brown colour, under-side usually mjre or 

 less castaneous, with the breast rather densely pubescent ; head rather 

 small, with strong projecting mandibles, eyes transverse, not strongly 

 emarginate, antenna} long and robust and strongly serrate in the males, 

 shorter and less serrate in the females ; thorax transverse, sinuate at base, 

 much narrower than elytra, spined at sides, rugosely punctured ; scutel- 



