362 CLAVIOORNIA. [Anthrenus. 



is furnished with very strong antennal grooves, and the legs are strongly 

 retractile ; the insects, therefore, are able to stow away their limbs 

 and antennae entirely beneath the body, and thus escape notice, as in 

 their motionless condition they closely resemble seeds ; the joints of the 

 antennae are variable in number, a difference that ought certainly to be 

 generic ; the species are, however, so closely allied, and are so very distinct 

 from all the others that are in any way related to them, that it would 

 perhaps be inconvenient to separate them, and I have merely adopted 

 Mulsant's genera as sub-genera. 



The larva of Authrenus musceorum is figured by Westwood (Classific., vol. i. 

 p. 156, fig. 14, 20) ; it much resembles tbat of Tiresias, being furnished with the 

 long tuft of hairs at apex, and the tufts on each side of the apical segments of abdo- 

 men. Westwood says that these hairs are of great service to the larva, enabling it 

 to glide between the fingers when handled, as though covered with oil, and that the 

 hairs forming the terminal brushes are very interesting microscopical objects, being 

 individually formed of a series of minute conical pieces placed in succession, the base 

 being very slender, and the extremity of each hair forming a large oblong knob placed 

 on a slender footstalk ; the larva does not form a cocoon, but its skin serves as a case 

 for the pupa. The British species may be divided into three sub-genera as follows : 



I. Antennae 11-jointed; club 3-jointed s.g. ANTHBENUS, i. sp. 



II. Antennae 8-jointed ; club 2-jointed s.g. FLOEILINUS, Muls. 



111. Aiitennte 5-jointed ; club consisting of a single very 



long joint s.g. HELOCEETJS, Muls. 



(Sub-Gen. Anthrenus, i. sp.) 



This sub-genus contains eight European species, of which three are 

 found in Britain ; A.pimpinellce is, perhaps, somewhat doubtful, but the 

 same may be said about many other probably introduced species. 



I. Tibiae and tarsi red or brownish-red. 



i. Upper surface clothed with black scales, with sides of 



thorax and three bands on elytra white, suture red . . A. SCROPHULARI.E, L. 

 ii. Upper surface clothed with black scales, varied with 



yellowish scales, especially at base and apex of elytra, 



the latter with a broad band in front between centre 



and base white A. PIMPINELL.E, F. 



II. Legs black, tarsi usually brownish ; upper surface 

 clothed chiefly with luteous scales, with spots at base of 

 thorax and three more or less distinct bands on elytra 



white A. VAKirs, F. 



(A. scrophulariae, L. Ovate, moderately, convex, clothed with 

 different-coloured scales,which are in this species very large and triangular ; 

 head coarsely punctured, eyes emarginate, antennae black, 11-jointed, 

 terminated by a 3-jointed club, which is as long as all the rest of the 

 joints united ; thorax black on disc, sides and more or less of base white 

 with a few yellowish scales intermixed, coarsely punctured, very strongly 

 narrowed in front ; elytra black, with three more or less interrupted 

 bands white and the suture red or orange-red ; under-side black, covered 



