Melanophtlialma.'] CLAVIOORNIA. 295 



Isle of Wight, &c ; it does not, however, occur further north than the Loudou 

 district, as far as is at present known. 



Our British form is the v. meridional-is, Reitter; we do not appear 

 to possess the type form,, which is pitch-black, and on an average 

 larger. 



As in the case of the Colydiidse, so also in the case of this family, we 

 only possess a few fragmentary genera containing altogether some sixteen 

 or seventeen species, and several of these are cosmopolitan insects 

 which have been introduced by commerce ; we need not, therefore, dis- 

 cuss their classification; in the Munich catalogue thirty-eight genera 

 and about two hundred species are enumerated, but these have since 

 been considerably increased ; by Duval and other authors the Monoto- 

 midae are included under this family, but their 3-jointed tarsi seem to 

 place them in closer proximity with the Lathridiidae. 



The following are some of the chief characters of the family: 

 Antennae inserted at the margin of the front, 11-jointed, sometimes 

 long and slender, sometimes with the apical joints forming an indis- 

 tinct club ; anterior coxal cavities open behind in the Cucujina and 

 Hyliotina, closed in the Silvanina, Hypocoprina, and Psammcechina ; 

 anterior coxse small ; tarsi 5-jointed in both sexes, or with the posterior 

 tarsi occasionally 4-jointed in the males. 



The species live mostly under bark, but some are found in grain, rice, sugar, &c., 

 and thus have been distributed by commerce. 



This family may be divided into the following tribes : 



I. Anterior coxal cavities open behind. 



i. First joint of antennae not strongly elongate ; tarsi 



of male 5-5-4-jointed, of female all 5-jointed . . . CUCUJINA. 



ii. First joint of antennae strongly elongate ; all the 

 tarsi 5-jointed in both sexes ......... HYLIOTINA. 



II. Anterior coxal cavities closed behind. 



i. First joint of tarsi short ; point of prosternum very 

 narrow between anterior coxae. 



1. Antennae gradually thickened towards apex, with- 

 out distinct club ; elytra punctate-striate ; last 



joint of maxillary palpi large ....... PSAMMCE CHINA. 



2. Antennae with 3-jointed club ; elytra not punc- 

 tate-striate ; punctuation obsolete ; last joint of 



maxillary palpi small .......... HYPOCOPEINA. 



ii. Fourth joint of tarsi very small ; point of prosternum 



rather broad between anterior coxa? ...... SILVANINA. 



CUCUJINA. 



This will probably be found to be a very extensive and widely 

 spread tribe ; there are five European genera, of which two are found in 

 Britain; Lcemophlceus is cosmopolitan. 



