THE COLOURS OF DESERT ANIMALS 151 



the large deserts of the world are inhabited by one 

 or more of the many sub-famihes into which these 

 insects are divided : — 



Sub-family. Desert inhabited. 



Erodiinae ..... Palaearctic 



ZophosinsB „ and African 



TentyriinsB „ „ „ 



Adesmiinae ..... ,, j, » 



Eurychorinae ..... South African 



Cryptochilinae ...... „ 



Molurinse ...... „ 



Sepidinse ..... Palaearctic and African 



Akidinae ...... 



.... ,, 



Pimeliinae ..... 



j> )> }> 



Blaptinae ..... „ ,j „ 



Eleodinae . . . . . American 



Praocinae ..... ,, 



Coniontinae ..... „ 



Adaliinae ..... Australian 



(K. G. Blair in litt.) 



Blackness, as I have said, is characteristic of the 

 Tenebrionidae. The desert environment has not 

 affected them, for in all the deserts in which they 

 occur the majority of species remain black. As 

 many of them are nocturnal, and as they shelter 

 by day under rocks, this is not at first sight remark- 

 able, but it is very remarkable that others have 

 acquired a habit of wandering over the naked ground 

 by day, and that these retain their uncompromising 

 black colour. Examples familiar to the traveller 

 in any of the deserts of Algeria, Egypt, Palestine or 

 Persia are the genera Adesmia and PimeUa (Fig. 

 42). These are large black active insects, and they 

 are a dominant part of the fauna of these countries 

 in winter, spring and early summer. Their activity 

 is strictly diurnal, for they do not take refuge from 



