OF NEW ZEALAND. 413 



FAMILY MORDELLIDES. 



Mentum borne by a peduncle. Ligula prominent, membraneous, 

 cordiform. Maxilla bilobed, ciliated, membraneous, not soldered at 

 the base. Apical joint of the maxillary palpi cultriform. Mandibles 

 short, furnished inwardly with a membraneous plate. Head vertical, 

 short, resting on the front coxae, provided with a narrow neck, entirely 

 immersed in the thorax, its vertex contiguous to the prothorax, and not 

 projecting beyond its front margin. Eyes large, oviform, depressed. 

 Antenna eleven-jointed, inserted in front of the eyes above the base of 

 the mandibles, filiform, or slightly dentate. Prothorax bent down, wider 

 than the elytra at the base, its lateral margins acute. Elytra plane, 

 gradually attenuated, arched, leaving more or less of the pygidium 

 exposed. Legs long : anterior coxa robust, very prominent, contiguous, 

 covering the intermediate, provided with trochantina, their cotyloid 

 cavities widely open behind ; the intermediate transversal, moderately 

 separated, with trochantina ; the posterior transversal, lamelliform and 

 contiguous : posterior femora wide and compressed ; the tibiae furnished 

 with spurs, the posterior very long : hind tarsi four-jointed, the others 

 pentamerous ; their claws simple or divided, and pectinate. Metatho- 

 racic episterna broad and generally parallel. Abdomen with five distinct 

 segments. 



Group MORDELLID.33. 



Th& pygidium prolonged in the form of a conical projection. Pos- 

 terior coxa longer than the metasternum. Tarsal claws more or less 

 divided and pectinated. Eyes invariably entire. Antennal cavities 

 widely open. 



Mordella. 



Linne ; Lacord. Hist, des Ins. Coleop., Tom. v.,/. 609. 



Last joint of the labial palpi broad, obliquely-triangular ; that of the 

 maxillary cultriform. Mandibles bifid at the extremity ; labrum trans- 

 versal, rounded in front. Head a little convex; epistome very short, 

 frequently confounded with the forehead, widely truncated ; eyes a little 

 convex, ovate, oblique, rarely contiguous to the thorax. Antenna 

 moderately long and robust, compressed, simple or serrated ; joints 

 one to four obconical, and of variable length. Prothorax transversal, 

 usually rounded laterally, with sub-acute hind angles, sinuous in front, 

 with a large central lobe at the base. Scutellum moderate, quadrate. 

 Elytra closely adapted to the thorax, singly rounded at the apex, nar- 

 rowed posteriorly. Legs rather long; the posterior femora strongly 

 compressed laterally, and very wide, tibia (hind) smooth externally ; the 

 intermediate tibiae as long as their tarsi ; the basal joint of the four 

 posterior tarsi very elongate ; the penultimate of the two front pairs 

 excavated above for the insertion of the apical joint. Body convex, 

 lanceolate, generally ending in a strong spine-like process. 



These characters will lead to the recognition of the New Zealand 

 species, though not an exact translation of Lacordaire's diagnosis. 



