Trogid.e.- 



-INSECTS. RUTELIDTE. 



215 



" At Poona, in the month of June, 1826, some of my 

 palankeen -bearers turned up with tlieir pickaxes, from 

 some depth below the surface, four hard perfect balls ; 

 the pickaxe had injured one of the balls. The injured 

 ball contained an amorphous animal mass, which I 

 immediatel)' pronounced to be the pupa of an unknown 

 species of insect, at least unknown to me. To ascer- 

 tain the insect proprietor of these curious domiciles, I 

 placed two of the balls in a tin box, and continued for 

 some months to watch them with attention ; but my 

 patience being wearied out, I abandoned further care 

 of them and put the box away. Thirteen months had 

 passed away, and I had forgotten the balls, when on 

 the night of the 19th of July, 1827, being in my study, 

 I heard a low scratching sound. The scratching con- 

 tinued the whole of the 20tb, and until I went to bed. 

 Previously to retiring for the night, to facilitate the 

 exit of the creature, I dropped water upon the ball to 

 soften the very hard and compact crust. At sunrise on 

 the morning of the 21st, I found a fine specimen of 

 Co2>ris at liberty, one-and-a-half inch long, and three- 

 tenths of an inch wide." 



The species of Phanwus are all from the New World. 

 The Phanrcus carnifex, or Bullchafer, is a common 

 insect in the more southern parts of the United States. 

 It is a square-built beetle, with abdomen and elytra 

 metallic green. The thorax is rough and of a burnished 

 copper hue, and the head in the male has a tall horn, 

 bent back over the thorax. 



Phanffius pcgasus. a antenna, b maxillary palpns. c antorior leg. 



rig. 86 is that of the male of a Mexican Phanams, 

 with an outline of its head and thorax, viewed in front. 

 It is copied from Sturm's Catalogue. 



Family— TROGrD.ai;, 



A small family of generally dull, darkling, rough- 

 coated beetles, found often on dried animal substances. 

 1 only once took a Trox, under the loosened bark of a 

 post. The cuts in the margin show the form of a 

 British Trox and the larva of the Trox carotinus. 

 There are three species of Trox, and four if with 

 Westwood and others you regard the sand-frequenting 

 genus ^ffifilia as a member of the family. In the 

 woodcut (tig. 87) is given the profile of a species of 



CeralocantJms, as I long ago named the genus Acantho- 

 cerits, from that name having been preoccupied in 

 natural history. Species are found in the Old World, 

 though America is the metropolis. P/iobcrus has stiff. 



Fig. 87. 



Trox sabnlosns — a larva of T. carotinus. 

 b Sphffiromorphus basilicus. c Ceratocanthus nitens. 



bristle-like hairs all round it. It is an African genus 

 without wings. Mr. Macleay, who founded this genus, 

 remarks that he fancies it must not feed on dried 

 animal substances, because his great experience has 

 shown him that all " insects intended to live on animal 

 matter, partially dispersed and collected in masses, are 

 furnished with wings in order to convey them the more 

 rapidly to the objects pointed out by their instincts." 



Family— RUTELIDiE. 



A very extensive family of Beetles, chiefly natives 

 of the New World. Many of them are very sump- 

 tuous insects, especially the species of Chrysophora. 

 One of these, the Chrysophora macropus, has been 

 named the " Kangaroo Beetle" from its immensely 

 developed hind legs, large in the female, but much 

 larger in the male. These legs are used for clinging, 

 not for leaping, like the Ealticidce, or the species of 

 Orchestes and other beetles. Its delicate rich green, 

 laid on, as it were, thickly and smoothly, and actually 

 as if translucent ; the red washes on the legs and under 

 side contrast well, and the lovely blue tarsi are quite 

 exquisite with the green. There is a very fine species 

 called Victoria, after our gracious queen. 



One of the Rutelce, dark green, with three yellow lines 

 on the thorax, was found plentifully by my friend Sir 

 Robert Schomburgh in the flowers of that noble Guiana 

 water lily, the Victoria regia. 



Areoda and Pelidnota are American genera, also 

 found on plants. Macraspis, with its large scutellum, 

 is also a New World species. Piperonota Harring- 

 toni, is an Indian species, the male of which has a 

 curious hooked spine on the back part of the thorax. 

 Parnstasia is another Asiatic genus, with many spe- 

 cies from the Philippine and other islands of the East 

 Indian archipelago. 



Hexodon, a curious flattened l\Iadagascar genus, 

 lives on the sand, but its true history is unknown 

 to me. 



The genus Ci/cloccphala is an extensive one ; the 

 species are found in flowers. 



Heterosternus is a rare Jlexican genua — one of 

 those forms often called " connecting links." 



