BEETLES. 31 



more abundant in America than in Europe, and much more 

 numerous in the torrid than in the temperate and cold zones. 

 In the Swiss Tertiary country they are on the whole rare. It 

 is remarkable that the Lepturidse, which belong to the temperate 

 zone, are absent, and that all the species are to be referred to 

 the genera of Cerambycidae, Lamiariae, and Prionidae ; they un- 

 doubtedly all inhabited the forest, and lived upon wood in their 

 larval state. 



The genus Prionus includes types of large size. All the 

 CEningian forms are distinguished by having the margins of the 

 thorax destitute of teeth or serrations ; they form a peculiar 

 and apparently extinct group. In size and general aspect the 

 largest species (P. Polyphemus, Heer, fig. 250) is very like 

 Prionus faber, Linn., the larvae of which live in firs ; a second 

 species (Prionus spectabilis, Heer, fig. 251) attains nearly the 

 size of P. coriarius, Linn. 



Cerambycidae are represented by the genera Clytus and Calli- 

 dium, including nine species. The variegated colours which 

 distinguish the former may still be recognized in four CEningian 

 species ; and the specimen figured (fig. 252) shows distinctly that 

 the elytra were traversed by three transverse light-coloured 

 bands, which were probably of a sulphur-yellow during life. 

 These insects differ considerably from the European species , but 

 two of the Callidia (C. Escheri } Heer, fig. 253, and C. procerum, 

 Heer) are nearly allied to C. strepens, Fab., a species which is 

 very widely distributed in the Mediterranean region, and also 

 occurs in Madeira and North Africa, and even in Georgia and 

 Brazil. 



Of the Lamiariae, a Saperda (S. Nephele, Heer) probably lived 

 on the poplars of CEningen; an Acanthoderus (A. sepultus, 

 Heer) and a Mesosa (M. Jasonis, Heer) upon the wood of coni- 

 fers. The elytron of a small Saperda (fig. 254) has also been 

 found in the Miocene of Rovereaz. 



Of the tribe Stenelytra five families are represented at CEnin- 

 gen ; the Cistelidae and Helopidse include the greatest number 

 (fifteen) of species. The former probably frequented flowers, 

 while the Helopidse lived on forest-trees ; but their larvae in all 

 likelihood resided in old stumps of oaks and firs. Two species 



