Order 5. COLEOPTERA. 517 



the thorax nearly orbicular, and the spurs of the tibiie of ordinary size. The species are found in Europe, the 

 equatorial parts of the New World, India, and Australia. [The type, Silp/ia littoralis, Tabr., is a very commoa 

 English insect.] 



Others of this subdivision have the body oval or ovoid, with the head not, or scarcely, narrowed behind, and 

 narrower than the thorax, which is nearly semicircular ; the elytra ara rounded, or elightly emarginate at the tipi 

 the leg's scarcely differ in the sexes, and the maxillaj have an inner horny tooth. 



Silpha, Linn., has thebody nearly shield-shaped, depressed, with the thorax seniicircu'iar and the palpi filiform. The 

 majority reside in [and feed upon] carcases, and thus diminish the quantity of obnoxious vapour which they emit. 

 Some creep upon the stems of plants, especially of corn on which small Snails have crawled, in order to devour 

 these animals ; others mount hi^h trees to feed on Caterpillars. Their larvcs are equally active, live in the same 

 manner, and are often found collected in o^reat numbers. They bear much resemblance to the perfect insect ; the 

 boily is depressed, composed of twelve segments, with the posterior angles acute, the extremity of the body being 

 narrowed, and terminated by two conical apppendages. In the majority of the species the two anterior tarsi of the 

 males are alone more dilated than the rest. The species with the extremity of the antennre distinctly perfoliated 

 or with transverse joints, forming a sudden club, with the elytra notched at the tips, forms Leach's genus Thana- 

 tophilus {S. sinuata, Fab., &c.), whilst those with similar antenna?, but with the elytra entire, form his genus 

 Oiceoptoma (type <S'. thoracica, Linn., of a black colour, with the thorax red, silky, and with three elevated lines ; is 

 chiefly found in woods.) Those species which have the antennfe perfoliated, but with the club gradually formed, 

 are retained under the generic name of Silpha by Leach. Tliey are generally found in fields, on the borders of 

 paths, &c.: example, Silpha lavigata. Fab.; shining black, with the thorax much narrowed in front, and the elytra 

 without elevated lines : S. obscura, Linn., S. reticulata, Linn., &c. In some the terminal joints of the antenna; 

 are globular and not perfoliated ; these form the genus Phosphuga of Leach : ex. S. atrata. Fab., &c. 



A German species (S. subten-anea, Illig.), having the four anterior tarsi alike dilated at the base in the males, 

 and the five terminal joints of the antenna; forming a perfoliated club, may be formed into another subgenus, Necro- 

 philus, Latr. 



Agyrtes, Froehl., has the body thick, couve.\ above, not shield-like, thorax nearly square, and the edge of the 

 elytra not margined. A. castaneus, Gyll. 



Those Clavicornes which appear to us to approach Agyrtes, both in respect to then- characters and 



habits, but whicli have the mandibles notched or bidentate at the tip, form the fourth tribe, Scaphidites. 



Their tarsi have five distinct and entire joints, the body is oval, narrowed at both ends, convex above, 



thickened in the middle, with the head low, and received posteriorly in a trapezoidal thorax. The 



antennae are generally as long as the head and thorax, and terminated by an elongated 5-jointed mass ; 



the legs are long and slender. Except in the Cholevae, the tarsi are identical in the sexes. This tribe 



consists of the genus 



ScAPHiDiu.M, Oliv. 



ScapMdiiim proper, has the five terminal joints of the antennae nearly globular, and forming the club. The 

 maxillary palpi are but little porrected, and terminate gradually in a point ; the body is navicular, and the elytra 

 truncate. They reside in boleti. Few species are known, one inhabiting Cayenne, the others the north of Europe. 

 [S. quadrimaculatum, a very pretty and rare British species ; black shiny, with four red spots on the elytra.] 



Choleva, Latr., has the club of the antennae composed of more or less perfoliated joints; the maxillary palpi are 

 much exposed, and suddenly terminated like an awl ; body ovoid, thorax flat; the four basal joints of the anterior 

 and the basal joint of the intermediate tarsi are dilated as in the males of some species. (Catops blapoides. Germ.) 

 In Choleva proper, the antennae are about as long as the head and thorax, the eighth joint is evidently shorter 

 than the preceding and following, and sometimes scarcely distinct, and the last is pointed. In Mylachiis, Latr., 

 Catops, Payk., Gyll., the antenna are shorter, the eighth joint being longer than the preceding, and the last 

 rounded at the tip. (See the monograph on Choleva, by W. Spence, published in the Transactions of the Linnaan 

 Society of London.) 



Tbn fifth tribe, Nifidularice, approaches the Silphales in the shield-shaped, margined body, but the 

 mandibles are bifid at the tips, the tarsi appear only 4-jointed, the basal and following joint in some 

 being only visible on the under-side ; the penultimate joint in others is very small, nodose, and hidden 

 between the lobes of the preceding ; the club of the antenna; is always perfoliated, and composed of 

 three or two joints, and generally short, or but little elongated. The palpi are short and fihform, the 

 elytra short and truncated in some species. The habitation of these insects varies according to the species, 

 being found in flowers, boleti, fungi, waste victuals, and under the bark of trees. They form the genua 



NiTIDULA. 



Colohicus, Latr., has the club of the antenna; only 2-jointed ; the front of the head is produced like a semicircular 

 clypeus, covering the mandibles and other parts of the mouth ; the tarsi appear only 4-jointed, the real basal joint 

 being only visible on the under-side. 



All the other Nitidulaires have the antennae terminated by a 3-jointed club, and the front of the head is not pro- 

 duced over the mouth. 



Thjmalns, Latr., agrees with Colobicus in having the basal joint of the tarsi very short, and the three following 

 long and entire. In the nearly hemispherical species {T, limbatus), the club of the antenna; is shorter. 



