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8 ESTE dcm 3 2 
RSET TS, EI ع وس ا‎ eg a و‎ GSS E 
226 MR. A. MURRAY'S MONOGRAPH OF THE FAMILY OF NITIDULARIZ. 
the second lobe of the maxille in the Brachypteride is peculiar. It is not furnished 
with hooks or hairs, but has a small vesicle at its termination. Fig. 2 shows the bilobed 
maxilla of Brachypterus, from which it will be seen that the bilobed maxilla of Rhizo- 
phagus differs in character from it, and belongs to the type of the Trogositide, Colydiide, 
and other Clavieorns of that class. 1 have added fig. 5 to show the bilobed maxilla of 
Bitoma crenata as an example of their style in these Clavicorns. Another distinction of 
less importance, but one still further indicating a relationship with them, is that the 
antennz have only ten articles, the two terminal articles of the club being soldered into 
one. Several of the Colydiide have this peculiarity—notably Cicones, Synchita, Sarro- 
trium, Pycnomerus, Cerylon, &c. On the above grounds I exclude Rhizophagus from 
the family of the Nitidularia. 
The first step to the classification of the family thus restricted is to separate it into 
those whose maxillz have two lobes and those which have only one. The Brachypteride, 
as already mentioned, have two lobes, the external of which is long and slender and 
terminated by a vesicle (see fig. 2, suprà). In this tribe also two of the dorsal segments 
of the abdomen are exposed. 
Fig. 19. Fig. 20. 
The whole of the remaining species have only one lobe to > «x 2 SN 
the maxille; and a further dismemberment of them may be A ost 8 | 
made at the other end of the line by setting apart all those 
a è 3 i f  Epistome and la- 
which have the epistome prolonged and covering or almost lag da Erum of [chana 
covering the labrum (as in fig. 19), which form the tribe Zpide, puppis 
in contradistinction to the species with an exposed labrum as in fig. 20, which represents 
the form of these parts in the majority of the family. 
The species which fall into neither of these sections may next be separated into those 
which have the pygidium or last dorsal segment of the abdomen alone exposed, and 
those which have more than it exposed, viz. the last two, three, or four dorsal segments. 
The latter form the tribe Carpophilide. 
These being withdrawn, there remains a numerous body of insects for the division of 
which there is more difficulty in finding characters. It comprises two different forms 
(each of which may again be divided into other sections),—one the Nitidulide proper, 
generally of an oblong shape and more or less depressed ; the other the Strongylinæe, more 
or less rounded, deep, and globose, reminding one of some of the Coccinellide or Chryso- 
melide. Erichson made the distinctive character of the Strongyline the extension of the 
prosternum behind the anterior coxæ, as shown in the foregoing fig. 7 a & fig. 7 b, which 
represent the underside of the thorax of Camptodes communis. The absence of this exten- 
sion or prolongation was his distinguishing character 
of the Nitidulide as contradistinguished from the 
Strongyline (see figs. 6 a & 6b). He then divided those 
which had it into genuine Strongyline, in which the 
prothorax covered the base of the elytra, as in fig. 21, ioe a oF Base of thorax of 
and spurious Strongyline, in which it was only applied — Camptodes communis. ve 2 
to their base, as in fig. 22. Leconte, using the same characters, has only reversed their 
Fig. 21. Fig. 22. 
