ON THE MELASOMA. 567 



guish the species, these insects being entirely black; sometimes, 

 however, their tint is accidentally a little ashen, or earthy. 



The genus Sepidium, established by Fabricius, has been 

 adopted by all entomologists. These insects are found only 

 in the hot climates of the Ancient Continent. Their habits 

 are the same as those of the Pimeliae. They are seen to walk 

 upon the sand in dry and uncultivated places. Their larvae 

 are unknown. The Sepidium cristatum is found in Egypt, 

 as is also another species, trisctcspidatum, and on the coast 

 of Barbary. It was found very common by M. Olivier, at 

 the end of the winter, in the environs of Alexandria. 



The genus Blaps has considerable relations with pimelia, 

 helops and tenebrio. They are distinguished from the first 

 by the last articulation of the antennulas, which is almost 

 filiform in the pimeliae, and thicker than the others in blaps. 

 They are distinguished from helops, inasmuch as the last 

 articulation in the latter is broad, compressed, and of a cres- 

 cent form. The antennae, moreover, are composed of articu- 

 lations almost conical. Tenebrio is distinguished from blaps 

 by the third articulation of the antennae not being so long as 

 the third articulation of those of blaps ; the antennulos more- 

 over are almost filiform. The majority of these insects are 

 destitute of wings, and then the elytra hard, coriaceous, and 

 convex, are united one to each other by a suture. 



Though these insects, as we have just mentioned, are most 

 of them wingless, nature has not given them the compensa- 

 tion of enabling them to run with any degree of celerity. 

 The majority remain concealed during the day, under stones, 

 or in holes. They issue forth at night to run about in vari- 

 ous directions, and seek their food. They are sometimes 

 found in cellars, in humid and uninhabited places. They 

 emit a very foetid odour, much stronger, though pretty nearly 

 of the same description as that of the carabi, or the blattae, 

 which caused some ancient naturalists to class them among 



