Ordkko. COLEOPTERA. 511 



Zeilschrift fur die Eiitomologie, have minutely investigated their structure, ami liave proposed a great lumiber of 

 groups in aUdition to tliose given in the text, often, it is true, resting upon very minute and obscure characters.] 



Our second section, Malacodermi, is divisible into five tribes. 



The first, Cebrionites, so named from tlie genus Cebrio, Oliv., to wliich some others are added, has 

 tho mandibles terminated in a single point ; the palpi of equal thickness throughout, or slender at the 

 tip; the body rounded and swollen in some; oval or oblong, but arched above and bent down in front, 

 in others. It is often soft and flexible, with the thorax transverse, bioadLSt at the base, with the 

 lateral angles elongated and acute in some ; the antenna; are ordinarily longer than the head and 

 thorax. The feet are not contractile. Their habits are unknown ; many are, however, found upon 

 plants in moist places. They may be united into a single genus, 



Cebrio, Oliv., Fabr. 



In a first subsection, establishing a connexion between this and the preceding tribe, the species have the body 

 of a consistence as solid as in the Sternoxi, and of an oblong-ovate form ; the mandibles advanced beyond the 

 labruni, narrow, very much bent ; the antenns flabellate or pectinated in the males of most of the species, or 

 ratlier thickened at the tips. This subsection consists (with one exception) of species not inhabiting our country, 

 and comprises several genera, including Pliysodactylus and Cebrio, in which the i)rosternum is produced into a 

 poirit, and received into a notch of the mesosternum ; and Anelastes, Kirby ; Callir/iipis, Latr. ; .Saiulalus, Kiioch. ; 

 R/iipicera, Latr., and Ptilndnctiila, Uliger ; most of which are formed of South American insects, the males of 

 many of which are remarkably distinguished by their branched or pectinated antenna;. These also differ from the 

 preceding in the prosternum not being remarkably prolongeil into a point, and in the mesosternum wanting the 

 frontal impression. In several of the last-named genera the joints of the tarsi are lobed beneath, and in the genus 



DascillHS, Latr. ; Atopa, Fabr., which has the U-jointed antenna; simple in both sexes, the three basal joints df 

 the tarsi are without these membranous lobes, but the fourth joint is deeply bilobed, and the terminal joint 

 without an appendage between the claws. Type, Atopa cervina, Fab. A common British insect. 



In the second division of the Cebrionites the mandibles are small, but little or not at all extended beyond tlie 

 labrum ; the body generally soft, nearly hemispheric or ovoid, and the palpi pointed at the tip. The antenna; are 

 simple, or but slightly toothed ; in many the hind-feet are used for leaping. They frequent aquatic places. 

 [These are minute insects.] 



Eludes, Latr. ; Ci/phon, Fab., Dej., has the posterior thighs scarcely differing in size from the others. [Several 

 minute British species] 



Scjirles, Latr., has the hind thighs very large, and used for leaping. These two have the penultimate joint cf 

 the tarsi bilobed ; in the two following it is entire. 



Nyctens, Latr., has the third joint of the antenna; very minute, and the spurs of the hind tibiae distinct. 



Eiibria, Zeigl., has the second joint of the antennae minute, and the spurs of the hind tibia; almost obsolete. 

 Cyphon paluitris, Gemiar. [A minute species, recently captured in Scotland.] 



The second tribe of the Malacodermi, that of the Lampyrides, is distinguished from the preceding 

 by the thickened tips of the palpi, or at least of the maxillary palpi ; the body always soft, straight, 

 depressed, or scarcely convex ; and the thorax, either semicircular or nearly square, advanced over the 

 head, which it wholly or partly covers. The mandibles are generally small, terminated in a slender 

 curved point, entire at the tip ; the penultimate joint of the tarsi is always bilobed, and the ungues of 

 the tarsi are neither toothed nor furnished with any appendage. The females of some species are desti- 

 tute of wings, or have only short elytra. When seized, these insects fold their antennae and feet close 

 to the b6dy, without making any movement, as if dead ; many also bend down the abdomen. They 



form the genus 



Lampyris, Linn. 



A first division has the antennae arising close together ; the head either free and produced into a muzzle, or 

 entirely concealed beneath the thorax, with the eyes of the males very large and globular, and the mouth small. 



Lycus, Fab., having the muzzle very long ; 



Dictyop/cra, Latr., with the muzzle very short ; and 



Omalisiis, GeoftV., without any distinct muzzle ; are distinguished for the want of the power of emitting light. 

 [There is one British species, L. minutus, Fabr., belonging to the second of these groups ; it is small, of a black 

 colour, with red elytra.] 



The other Lampyrides of this first division differ from the former, not only in not having a muzzle, and in 

 having the head, which is occupied almost entirely by the eyes in the males, entirely or nearly hidden beneath 

 the semicircular or square thorax ; but also in a very remarkable property which they possess, either common to 

 both sexes or peculiar to the females alone— that of being phosphorescent ; whence these insects have obtained 

 the names of Ulow-worms and Fire-flies. The body of these insects is very soft, especially the abdomen : the 

 luminous matter occupies the under-side of the two or three terminal segments of this part of the body, which are 

 differently coloured, and generally yellow or white. The light they emit is more or less bright, and of a greeni'h- 

 white, or white colour, like that of different kinds of phosphorus. It appears that these insects are able at will 



