SCAUITID.^:. — SCARITES. 37 



tridentate, the middle tooth strong : anterior tihiw deeply emarginatcd inter- 

 nally, and generally expanded and palmated externally: anterior tarsi simple 

 in both sexes: head large. — Labial palpi four-jointed; two in number, not 

 Jbitr, as stated by a typographical error in page 36. 



The typical character of this family, as observed by Mr. Mac- 

 Leay, "consists in the broken antenna?, the pedunculated abdo- 

 men, the semilunar thorax, and digitated anterior feet." Several 

 genera are found in Britain, which may be thus briefly discrimi- 

 nated : — 



,7,.,. .. , . rforte dentatfE : . . . .11. Scahites. 



Tir j-7 7 • i. V J haud acntata; : . . . ,12. OWGNATHVSf 



9 1 . , , „, fquadratus: l.i. Clivina. 



"LdenticulatsB: Thorax < \ , ,, T\,,„^.^,^r,ro 



(^globosus: . 14. Dyschirius. 



T?C)?(E ««<ifa' baud palmatac ...... 15. Distomus. 



Genus XL — Scarites, Fahricins. 

 Lahrum very short, tridentate: mandibles large, porrected, strongly dentated 

 internally : external maxillary palpi and terminal joint of the labial nearly 

 cylindric : labium short, broad, concave, emarginate : vicntum trilobate : an- 

 tenna; with the basal joint subconic, the remaining joints gradually increasing 

 in thickness to the tip: thorax broad, lunate: body oblong, more or less 

 depressed: anterior fibiw strongly palmated: the rest simple. 



The insects of this genus are nocturnal feeders; and during the 

 day they lurk almost without motion in the holes which they dig in 

 the earth, but at night they sally forth in quest of their prey : they 

 frequent the sea-coasts, but are very rare in Britain. There are 

 two sections of this genus, which is rather an extensive one ; the 

 first of which possesses two perpendicular spines on the interme- 

 diate legs ; the second one spine only : — Sc. Beckwithii and sub- 

 terraneus belong to the first, and ijevigatus to the second, 

 f Sp. 1. Beckwithii. Plate III. f. 1. — Niger^ tibiis anticis triden- 



tatis, postice quadndenticulaiis, elytris ohlong'is^ sti'iatis, striis 



haud punctatis ; antennis pedibusque nigro-piceis. — (Long. corp. 



Silin.) 

 Sc. Beckwithii. Sfepk. Catal. No. 41. 

 Apparently very closely allied to Sc. subterraneus ; dull black above : the head 



smooth, with two deep impressions in front : the antcnnte reddish-brown : 



t Sp.2. subterraneus. Niger, tibiin anticis tridenfalis, posticedentiailatis; elytris 

 ohlongis, striatis, striis obsoletissimc punctatis, piinctisquc trihus iinpressis. 

 (Long, coi-p. 7^ lin.) 



Sc. subterraneus. Fahricius.—Martyn, Col.pl.SS.f. A-G.—Steph. Catal. No. -12. 



More convex than the preceding : it is brilliant black above : the head has two 

 longitudinal impressions: the elytra arc oblong, striated; the strits obsoletely 

 Mandibul.'VTa, \o\.. L IsT August, 1827. f 



