BEETLES. 37 



Heer (fig. 265), is the precursor of V. hemipterus, Linn., the larvae 

 of which live in the wood of deciduous trees. 



The family Glaphyridse presents us with an exotic type (Gla- 

 phyrus antiquus, Heer), now found in the East living on the 

 flowers of thistles. 



Of the Melolonthidae (cockchafers) ten species are found at 

 (Eningen ; but none of them seems to have been there as nume- 

 rous as are the living species. In the older Miocene one species 

 must have been abundant. Of the five specimens of insects 

 which have as yet been found at Hohe-Rhonen, two belong to 

 Melolontha Greithiana, Heer (fig. 263) ; and these have been met 

 with there in different parts of the Carbonaceous deposits. This 

 species was as large as the common Swiss cockchafer, but it had 

 much narrower elytra, and probably belonged to the same group 

 (Catalasis, Dej.) as the Melolontha australis, Schonh., of the 

 south of France. 



At CEningen all the Melolonthidse are rare. One species 

 (Rhizotrogus longimanus, Heer) has its nearest ally in Southern 

 Europe (R. paganus, Ol.) ; another (Anomala fugax, Heer) is 

 most closely related to the common July chafer (A. Julii, Fab.), 

 which ranges all over Europe; and a third (Serica minutula, 

 Heer) resembles the little Serica strigosa, Dej. But the most 

 interesting insect of this family is Lepitrix germanica, Heer 

 (fig. 264), as it belongs to a genus which is now confined to the 

 Cape of Good Hope, where a very similar species (L. lineata, 

 Fab.) is found. 



The Lamellicorns are represented in the water by the Palpi- 

 corns, twenty-two species of which, belonging to the family 

 Hydrophilidae, inhabited the waters of CEningen. To these must 

 be added four more species found at Locle and Monod in the 

 Canton of Vaud. Of the eight genera to which these species 

 are referred, two (namely Escheria and Hydrophilopsis, Heer) 

 are extinct, but five are still found in Switzerland. While only 

 three species of the genera Hydrophilus and Hydrous, which in- 

 clude the largest species, now inhabit Switzerland, (Eningen 

 possessed ten species, several of which must have been abundant. 

 Hydrophilus spectabilis, Heer, is the nearest relative of the great 

 pitchy water-beetle (H. piceus, Linn.), which is distributed 

 through all the fresh waters of Europe, whilst several others 



