*r<'itpbrionina.~\ IIETEROMEUA. 17 



the tibiae terminated by small but stout spurs, and all the tarsi pubescent 

 beneath. 



TENEBRIO, Limit'. 



The members of this genus are distinguished from their allies by 

 having the last joint of the maxillary palpi almost securiform, the 

 elytra striate, and the anterior tibiae curved ; the third joint of the 

 antennae is elongate ; there are about twenty species, of which five are 

 found in Europe, and the remainder in North America, Africa, the 

 Canary Islands, Ceylon, and the Australian district ; as they are found 

 in all their stages in meal and flour, their larvae being the well-known 

 " meal worms," they are often transported from one country to another 

 by commerce. 



The larva and pnpa of Tenebrio molitor are described and figured by Scbiodte 

 (I.e. pp. 568, 587, pi. xi. figs. 6, 12) ; the larva is parallel, linear, and corneous, of a 

 pale ferruginous colour, with the segments at margins, and the head, prothorax, and 

 two last segments of the body a little darker than the remainder ; the length is ten 

 times greater than the breadth ; the head is rather narrower than the prothorar, 

 which is twice as long as the mesothorax ; the anal segment is conical, and terminates 

 in two very minute appendages ; the legs are short; the pupa is much longer than 

 broad, almost glabrous, with the plates at the sides of the segments tri- or qnadri. 

 dentate ; the cerci are moderate, sharp and slightly curved outwards ; the larvae 

 frequent bakehouses, corn mills, granaries, &c., and do much damage by devouring 

 meal, bran, flour, &c. ; as West wood remark' 3 , they are very destructive to ship- 

 biscuits packed in casks, which, when opened, are found eaten through in holes by 

 them ; they form no cocoon, and emerge in the perfect state after being about six 

 weeks in the pupal condition ; they are greedily devoured by birds, and are accord- 

 ingly bred by bird-fanciers, as they form an excellent food for several of the species 

 that are difficult to rear. 



I. Upper surface shiny ; third joint of antennae shorter . . . T. MOLITOB, L. 

 II. Upper surface dull ; third joint of antennae longer .... T. OBSCURUS, F. 



T. molitor, L. Elongate, parallel-sided, rather depressed, mode- 

 rately shiny, pitchy black, with the under-side ferruginous ; head much 

 narrower than thorax, closely punctured, antennae inserted under a 

 raised ridge, rather stout, reaching beyond the middle of thorax ; 

 thorax almost as long as broad with the sides slightly rounded, very 

 closely punctured, with an oblique impressed fovea towards the base on 

 each side; scutellum transverse ; elytra more or less distinctly striated, 

 with the strife obscurely punctured, and the interstices very closely and 

 finely punctured ; legs ferruginous. L. 12-16 mm. 



Male with the anterior tibiae strongly curved ; in the female they are 

 slightly, but distinctly, curved. 



In old flour, <fec. ; generally distributed and often only too common j it is in all 

 probability an introduced specie?. 



Immature specimens of this species are often met with ; they are of a 

 ferruginous or reddish-testaceous colour. 



T. obscurus, F. Closely allied to the preceding, which it resembles 

 in shape, size, and general appearance ; it may, however, be at once re- 

 VOL. v. c 



