Scraplw.lte.'} HETEROMERA. 65 



the same family between Abdera and Hallomenus ; Thomson classes it 

 with Conopalpus as a tribe Conopalpina of the Serropalpidae, which 

 latter familv is by many writers regarded as only a part of the Melan- 

 dryidae. Heyden, Reitter, and Weise again place it with Euglene-*, 

 Xylooliilut, Ptdilus, Steropes, and Phytobcenus under a separate family 

 Pedilidae, and in this they are followed by some authors ; the genus 

 seems to fall most naturally under the Mordellidae, and the species 

 superficially bear a strong resemblance to Ana^pis ; it must, however, be 

 admitted that in some points it is more closely allied to the Melandryidse, 

 and under all circumstances it seems to be the best plan to form a 

 family Scraptiidae for the reception of Scraptia and Trotomma and 

 "Wollaston's genus Pt-eudoscrarfia ; the species are so extremely rare that 

 it i- very difficult to obtain a sp-cimen for dissection, and further study 

 of the species is necessary before any final conclusion can be come to in 

 the matter ; the arrangement, however, which I have here followed 

 seems to be the best provisional one that can be made, as it places the 

 genus in a position between the Melandryidae and Mordellidse without 

 connecting it with either. The family may be characterized as follows: 

 Head more raised than the anterior margin of the thorax, strongly con- 

 tracted immediately behind eyes ; upper surface depressed ; antenna? 

 filiform ; eyes deeply emarginate ; maxillary palpi more or less strongly 

 securiform ; thorax transverse ; scutellum distinct; posterior coxae shorter 

 than the first ventral segment; spurs cf anterior tibiae distinct ; posterior 

 tibia? as long as the tarsi ; penultimate joint of tarsi Strongly bilobed ; 

 claws simply toothed at base, the teeth being rudimentary ; insects small 

 and very delicate, 



SCRAPTIA, Latreille. 



About twenty-five species are contained in this genus, of which eight are 

 found in Europe, and the remainder chiefly in North and South America; 

 one, however, has been described from Ceylon ; the characters above 

 given will serve to distinguish the genus ; the antennae have the second 

 and third joints small ; the mandibles are bifid at apex ; the scutellum is 

 triangular ; the elytra are subparallel, rather depressed and almost 

 coriaceous, not fitting tightly to the sides of the abdomen, which is com- 

 posed of five segments ; the legs are slender and delicate. 



The larva of S. fu*cu.la (minvta, Muls.) is described and figured by Ferris (Larves 

 des Coleopteres, p. 311, pi. x. f. 371) ; it is white with a slight yellowish tinge, linear 

 and elongate, with the prothoracic segment the longest, and is chiefly remarkable for 

 the very long last segment of abdomen ; this segment is as long as the three or four 

 preceding segments, and is very thickly set with fine long setae; it is almost spoon- 

 shaped, and is quite simple at apex ; Ferris, in discussing the questions raised concern- 

 ing the position of the genus, remarks that the larva seems to offer no points of com- 

 parison with Mordella and Mvrdellislena, but nevertheless appears to be somewhat 

 allied to that of Anaspis, from which, however, it dirters totally in the formation of 

 the last segment ; the larva and the perfect insect appear to be, at all events to a cer- 

 tain extent, myrmecophilous. 



VOL. V. F 



