30 



MANDIBULATA. — COLEOPTERA. 



Family XIX.— NITIDULID^, MacLeay. 



Antenna; short, generally abruptly clavate, the capitulum frequently compressed, 

 and mostly composed of two or three joints ; which in one genus are soldered 

 into one. Palpi usually filiform, short ; rarely thickened towards the ex- 

 tremities : mandibles elongated, generally emarginate at the apex : body de- 

 pressed, broad; head inserted in the thorax up to the eyes: thorax sub- 

 quadrate, or subtrapeziform : tarsi pentamerous, with the second and third 

 joints bifid and dilated, the fourth generally minute. 



The Nitidulidse, as Mr. MacLeay observes, " are to be found 

 in almost all substances, some inhabiting flowers and others car- 

 rion ; " — while many are to be found beneath the bark of trees, in 

 fungi, and in putrescent vegetable matter ; upon which the larvae — 

 which, so far as known, possess considerable resemblance to those 

 of the Silphidse — subsist. The indigenous genera differ externally 

 by the following, amongst other, characters : 



fdepressis,expla- f4-to equale: . 129. Thymalus. 



| natis. | 



f haucl ab- J Antennarum -J 



Ibreviata. \ articulo 3-tio | 

 Thoracis j (^4-to longiore: . 130. Nitiduxa. 



\lateribus | f 4-to vix longiore : 132. Campta. 



(haud depressis. An- j 

 tennarum J 

 articulo 3-tio 1 

 j | 4-to multo 



(Jongiore. frotundato- 

 Elytrai \ ovatum : 131. Strongylus. 



Corpus -\ 



fhaud porcata: f breves, 



j clava ■{ 



Lsubquadratum : 133. Me l \ get he s. 

 felongata,serrata: 134. Pria. 



(^abbreyiata 



.-! 



Antennas \ 



l^ovata, coarctata : 135. Carpophilus. 



I elongate, capituloobconico: 136. Cateretes. 



I^longitudinaliter porcata : 



137- MlCROPEFLUS. 



Si. ferruginea. Linnv. — Stewart (!). — Pe. ferruginea. Steph. Catal. 77. No. 

 823. note. 



Fuscous-castaneous, with a paler border ; thorax with impressed punctures ; 

 elytra with six elevated lines on each, three of which are punctulate, the in- 

 terstices with a double series of excavated punctures. 



Stated by Stewart to inhabit Britain, but apparently without any authority: — it 

 is usually found beneath the bark of trees on the continent 



