The genus Lymexylon is one of those types of form, the 

 natural location of which it is difficult to determine. Its soft 

 texture, the drooping head and small thorax, as well as the 

 antennae which are generally thickest in the middle, severally 

 offer strong resemblances to Sitaris, Cantharis, &c., but the 

 5-jointed tarsi have induced M. Latreille to place it between 

 the Cleridae and Ptinidse. 



One of the most remarkable circumstances however is the 

 great difference in the structure of the trophi in the sexes : 

 the mandibles are dissimilar, and the internal lobe (which in- 

 duced me to arrange Lymexylon with the Cantharidae) is more 

 developed in the female ; in this sex the labial palpi are remote, 

 and the lip of a different form to that of the male, but the most 

 striking dissimilarity exists in the maxillary palpi, which are 

 simple in the female, but branched like coral in the male. I 

 believe their curious structure has never before been correctly 

 represented or described : in our Plate fig. 3 a, is the base of 

 the maxilla, b the two terminal lobes, and c is placed at the 

 base of the palpus. 



There is little doubt, I think, that the palpi or feelers are 

 in most instances for retaining the food whilst the insect tears 

 it to pieces and masticates it ; but to say why the male should 

 be enabled to do this in a better or different way to the female, 

 if their food be the same, is at present a mystery. 



The larvae of the Lymexylons feed upon timber, especially 

 the oak, which they perforate and destroy. Turton has re- 

 corded our species as British, but no authentic specimen was 

 known until the female figured was taken by Mr. J. H. Gries- 

 bach in Windsor forest on an oak-tree in July 1829, and I am 

 indebted to him for the loan of it. It is said to be rare in 

 France and common in the north of Europe ; it is therefore 

 probable that other specimens may be detected in this country. 



L. navale Linn. — Curt. Brit. Ent. pi. 382. 



Female shining, thickly and minutely punctured, clothed 

 with very short pubescence, ochreous ; antennae brown subfu- 

 siform : palpi ochreous : head black, strongly and very thickly 

 punctured : thorax rufous, subovate : elytra piceous towards 

 their tips, the same colour extending along the lateral margin 

 nearly to the shoulders, each elytron with two obscure longi- 

 tudinal elevated lines : wings deep fuscous, iridescent : abdo- 

 men inclining to orange at the apex, the penultimate joint 

 blackish, margined with orange, a stripe of the same colour 

 down the centre and one on each side. 



Male smaller and black, antennas brown : elytra dark fus- 

 cous, the base ferruginous : abdomen slightly ochreous at the 

 apex : legs ochreous, tarsi fuscous : the shorter line in the 

 Plate shows the length of a male I received from Germany. 



The Plant is Orohanche c^enilea (Purple Broom-rape). 



