Layria.] HETEROMERA. 27 



Female broader, with the last joint of the antennae twice as long as 

 the preceding, and the eyes smaller, not or scarcely projecting beyond 

 sides of thorax. 



In hedges ; on flowers, &c. ; by beating and sweeping ; rather local, but sometimes 

 in profusion, generally distributed throughout the London and Southern district.*, and 

 not uncommon in the Midlands ; rarer further north ; Scotland very local, hitherto 

 found only in the Moray district, but it probably occurs in several others; Ireland, 

 Queenstowu, Killarney, Waterford, Portmaruock, &c. 



CISTELIDJE (Alhculidee}. 



This family, which has been by some authors included under the 

 Tenebrionidre, contains several genera, of which Alleciila, Cistela, and 

 Omophlus are the most important, but it is not of large extent; the 

 species are widely distributed, but appear to be mostly attached to tem- 

 perate and moderately warm climates ; eight genera occur in Europe, 

 containing about one hundred species, of which five genera, represented 

 however by only seven species, are found in Britain ; they differ from 

 the TenebrionidaB and Lagriidae in having the tarsal claws pectinate, and 

 from all the following families in the fact that the anterior coxal cavities 

 are closed behind ; the antennae are usually long, filiform or more or less 

 serrate, and are inserted behind the base of the mandibles; the maxil- 

 lary palpi are 4-jointed, rather long and often much dilated at apex ; 

 the eyes are kidney-shaped ; the coxae are somewhat variable, but the 

 posterior pair are usually contiguous, and the anterior pair subglobose ; 

 the epimera of the mesostt-rnum reach the coxae ; the legs are usually 

 long, the tibiae being more slender than the femora and furnished with 

 distinct spurs ; the posterior tarsi have the first joint elongate, and the 

 penultimate often bilobed. 



Our British genera may be distinguished as follows: 



I. Abdomen composed of five ventral segments ; mandibles 

 emarginate ; antennae inserted just behind base of man- 

 dibles. 



i. Penultimate joint of tarsi not furnished with a mem- 

 branous plate beneath. 



1. Anterior tarsi considerably shorter than the tibiae; 



antenna? comparatively short and stout MYCETOCHABES, Latr. 



2. Anterior tarsi as long or nearly as long as the tibia? ; 



antennae long and slender CISTELA, F. 



ii. Penultimate joint of tarsi furnished with a membranous 



plate beneath EBTX, Steph. 



II. Abdomen composed of six ventral segments; mandibles 

 acute at tip; antenna? inserted at a little distance behind 



base of mandibles. 

 i. Thorax not pilose, with posterior angles right angles ; 



antennae long and slender in both sexes CTBNIOPPS, Sol. 



ii. Thorax pilose, with posterior angles blunt or rounded; 



antennae comparatively short and stout in female . . OMOPHLtrs, Sol. 



The nomenclature of the family is somewhat in a state of confusion, 



