86 CLAVICORNIA. [Cldciger. 



or two representatives from India, <&c. ; the characters given for the 

 family will serve to distinguish our single species, which is totally unlike 

 any other British insect. 



C. testaceus, Preyss. (foveolattis, Miill.). Entirely testaceous or 

 reddish-testaceous, shining, head and thorax rather thickly pubescent ; 

 head long cylindrical, antennae short, club-shaped, six-jointed, last joint 

 large, eyes wonting ; thorax longer than broad, narrowed in front, Avith 

 a fovea at base ; elytra much broader than thorax, widened and deeply 

 impressed towards apex ; abdomen, if viewed from above, apparently 

 composed of one segment with a deep longitudinal furrow at base; legs 

 short, tibia3 narrowed at base. L. 2-2 j mm. 



Male with the intermediate femora before middle and the intermediate 

 tibiae before apex armed with a little tooth ; abdomen with the sixth 

 ventral segment furnished with a small tubercle at apex. 



In nests of Formica, flora (Lasius flavus), beneath flints on chalky hillsides or 

 downs; local, but not uncommon where it occurs; Box Hill; Miekleham ; Dorking ; 

 Portland; Southdowns (Chanctonbury) ; Freshwater, Isle of Wight; Seafoid, 

 Devon; Clevedon, Somerset ; Scotland, very rare, Tweed and Forth districts ; Ireland, 

 near Waterford; the species occurs on the continent in company with ZMSIUS niger 

 as well as L. flaws. 



PSELAPHIDJE. 



This family contains a considerable number of genera which are in 

 many points closely allied to the Scydmsenidce, but differ in having the 

 tarsi 3-jointed and the elytra much abbreviated ; in the arrangement 

 foil owe I below two tribes only are adopted, but some authors add two 

 others, Batrisina and Bryaxina ; there is, however, no particular reason 

 why they should be adopted, and it is well not to multiply tribes 

 too much if possible ; the two tribes distinguished below are very 

 distinct. 



I. Posterior coxae transverse not prominent or contiguous ; form 



never linear PSELAPHINA. 



II. Posterior coxa? conical, 'prominent, contiguous; form usually 



linear EUPLECTINA. 



PSELAPHIXA. 



The genera contained in this tribe are widely distributed throughout 

 the world ; as yet, however, we know comparatively little about them, 

 as we may judge from the number of species that have lately been 

 obtained in various countries by collectors who have found time to 

 attend to the minuter groups of Coleoptera ; they are easily distinguished 

 from the Euplectina by their wider bottle-shaped form, and from the 

 Scydmaenidas by their much shorter elytra. 



I. Antennas inserted on two more or less approximate tuber- 

 cles ; maxillary palpi (in our genera) very long and con- 

 spicuous. 



