COLEOPTERA. 383 



and broadly emarginated or concave at the same end; terminal lobe 

 of the maxillae elongated(l). 



NiTiDULA, Fab. — Nitidula, Strongylus, Herbst. — Silpha, Lin. 



The two mandibles become narrowed near the extremity and ter- 

 minate in an emarginated or bifid point. 



Some are flattened, oblong, or ovoid; the others are orbicular and 

 arched or proportionally more convex than the preceding. Thus 

 some authors have placed certain species in genera of a similar form 

 but otherwise very different, such as Spheridium and Tritoma. 



N. aeneus, Fab.; N. viridescens, rujipes, var., Id.; Oliv., Col., 

 II, ii, 12; III, 20, a, b; V, 33, a, b. Small; form, an oblong 

 ovoid; of a brilliant bronze-green and multi-punctured; antennae 

 blackish terminated by a very large obtuse club; thorax trans- 

 versal, slightly emarginated anteriorly, and bordered laterally; 

 legs sometimes blackish-brown, and sometimes fulvous(2). 

 Here the second and third joints of the antennae are almost equal in 

 size, and the club is elongated in the form of a reversed cone, or is 

 pyriform. 



Cercus, Lat. — Cathereles, Herbst. Illig. — Dermestes, Lin. Fab. — 

 Sphieridium, Fab. Gyll. — Nitidula, Oliv. 



The body depressed, and elytra truncated; two first joints of the 

 antennae much larger in the males of some species than in the fe- 

 males, and perhaps this subgenus should consist of such only, re- 

 ferring the others to Nitidula(3). 



There the tibiae are long, narrow, and almost linear; the elytra 

 cover the abdomen and are not truncated. 



The body is oval, thorax trapezoidal, and the antennal club ob- 

 long; its two first joints are nearly equal, and the third is hardly 

 longer than the fourth. Such are the 



Byturus, Lat. Schcenh. — Dermestes, Geoff. Fab. Oliv. — Ips, Oliv. (4) 



Those that compose our sixth tribe, that of the Engidites, 

 analogous to the Nitidularise in the emargination of the ex- 

 tremity of their mandibles, are distinguished from them by 



(1) Some of the species of Fabricius should apparently be referred to his genus 

 Engis. 



(2) See Fabricius, Olivier, Gyllenhal, Schoenherr, 8cc. 



(3) See Gyllenh., Insect. Suec. I, p. 245. 



(4) See Schoenh., Synon. Insect. I, ii, p. 95. 



