28 HETEROMERA. \CistelidoE. 



as the new school for the revival of obsolete names have applied the 

 name CistelidcE to what we commonly know as the Byrrhidae, and the 

 name Cistela to the genus Byrrhus, or rather to the small gemis Cytilus ; 

 it is, however, best to keep to the old names, unless we drop the term 

 Cistelidse altogether, and call the family Alleculidae. 



CISTEXiA, Fabricius. (Pseudocistela, Crotch.) 



There is some doubt as to the true composition of this genus, and 

 several axithors divide it into three or four separate genera, while others 

 also include under it the genus Eryx ; the latter genus appears to be quite 

 distinct, and I feel rather inclined to separate Isomira ; as, however, 

 C. cerarriboides appears to be in some respects more closely allied to this 

 sub-genus than to the C. rufipes group, and would also require to be 

 divided off, I have thought it better to follow Heyden, Reitter and 

 Weise, and others in keeping them together ; the genus as here con- 

 stituted is characterized by having the antennae long and slender, filiform 

 or serrate, with the last joint linear and elongate, and also by the short 

 prosternum, the evidently margined thorax, which is often almost semi- 

 circular, and the more or less strongly securiform last joint of the 

 maxillary palpi ; the upper surface is in some cases glabrous, or almost 

 glabrous, and shining, and in others evidently and closely pubescent. 



The genus contains more than seventy species, which are very widely dis- 

 tributed ; twenty-eight occur in Europe, and representatives have been 

 described from North America, Ceylon, Madagascar, the Australian 

 region, &c. ; very few, however, are found within the tropics. 



The larva of C. ceramboides is described and figured by Westwood (Classif. i. 

 p. 310, fig. 36, 7) ; it is long, subcyliudric and scaly, and resembles some of the larvae 

 of the Elateridae ; the antennae are very short, 3-jointed, with a minute tubercle or 

 retractile fourth joint at apex ; the head is reddish, the mouth black, the first 

 segment pale buff, and the remaining segments, except the last, dull greenish, with 

 the posterior margiu red ; the last segment is of a huffish colour, conical, and without 

 cerci or projections at apex ; the larva from which the above description was drawn 

 up was found by Mr. Griesbach in a pollard oak on Wimbledon Common. 



The three British species may be distinguished as follows : 



I. Antennae filiform, with the third joint not or not much 



shorter than fourth. 



i. Upper surface almost glabrous, shining ; anterior tarsi 

 with the first three joints slightly dilated (s.g. Gonodera, 



Muls.) C. LtTPERUS, Herbst. 



(fulvipes, F.) 

 ii. Upper surface finely and thickly pubescent, rather dull ; 



anterior tarsi simple (s.g. I.oMra, Muls.) C. MtTEiNA, L. 



II. Antennae strongly serrate, with the third joint very short, 

 fourth joint four times as long as third ; upper surface finely 

 pubescent; anterior tarsi simple (*.g. Pseudocistela, 



Crotch) C. CERAMBOIDES, L. 



C. luperus, Herbst. (fulvipes, F. ; s.g. Gonodem, Muls.). Oblong- 



