1890] E. T. kikiuBou—Caialogue of the Family Silpliidse. 171 



Family SILPHID-ffi. 



Catalogue of the Inseota of the Oriental Region, No. 8. Order Coleoptera, 

 Family Silphid^.—^^ E. T. Atkinson, B. A. 



The Silphidce have the body depressed, the head more or less depressed 

 and often posteriorly narrowed into a neck ; mandibles exserted, strong ^ 

 thorax orbicular or nearly so, forming a shield to the head, tarsi y-jointed. 

 They are known aa scavenger beetles, and live on decomposing animal 

 matter or fungi. They have been divided into the following sub-families 

 by Leconte &. Horn ^ :— 



Posterior coxse simple. 



Anterior coxae more or less fcranverse at the base and with trochautin. 



Anterior coxal cavities open behind. 



Posterior coxae contiguous. Silphini. 



Posterior coxae distant. 



Anterior coxae prominent : five ventral segments. Lyrosomini, 



Anterior coxae not prominent : six ventral segments. rinodytini. 



Anterior coxal cavities closed behind. Anistomini. 



Anterior coxse cylindro-conical, without trochantia, the cavities closed 

 behind, often widely. Cholevini, 



Posterior coxae laminate. 



Anterior coxae with trochantin, the cavities closed behind. Clambini, 



Dr. Reitter has also given a classification of the family, but it has not 

 been generally received.* 



The Silphini, Cholevini, o,nd Clambini are alone represented in our 

 Fauna, and but few species have, as yet, been described from the Oriental 

 Region. 



Family SILPHIDiE. 



Leach, Edinb. Encycl, 1815 : Westwood, Mod. Class. Ins., i, 1839, p. 135 : (SUpTiales) 

 Lacordaire, Gen. Col., ii, 1854, p. 192 : Jacq. Duval, Gen. Col. Eur., i, p. 101 : 

 Mun. Cat., p. 716 : Leconte & Horn, Class. CoL, p. 77 : Matthews, Biol. Centr. 

 Amer., Col., ii (i), 1887, p. 72. 



^ Class. Col. N. America, Smithson. Misc. Coll., 1883, p. 78. 



* Bastimmungs tabellen, in Verb. Ver. BiUnn, xxiii, 1885, p. 3 ; id,, Wien Ent. 

 Zeit, V, 1886, p. 313, 347 ; Deutsche Ent. Zeits., xxx, 1886, p. 219 ; see 

 Fauvel, and Seidlitz, Deutsche Ent. Zeits., xxxi, 1887, p. 81. 



