490 FAMILY XIII. — SCAPHIDIIDii;. 



VI. Ptinella Mots. 1845. (Diminutive of minus.) 



Very small, elongate or oblong forms liaving the head large and 

 prominent; eyes often wanting in male; antennas long and slender, 

 each joint ornamented with long hairs; thorax small, usually more 

 or less constricted at base; elytra short, truncate, leaving five or six 

 joints of the long abdomen exposed ; hind coxa- widely separated. 

 One of the three species listed has b^en taken in the State. 



941 (li!)70). Ptinella gi erci's Lee, New Sp. N. Am. C'ul., I, l^K\, Ol!. 



Moderately elongate, narrow. M:ile pale yellcjw. female p:ile cliestuul 

 brown; spari-ely clothed with yellowish hairs. Eyes of female rather large, 

 those of male wanting. Thorax more than twice as wide as long, widest 

 before the middle, constricted near base, hind angles acute, surface alu- 

 taceous. Elytra shorter and rather narrower than head and thorax to- 

 gether, widest toward the apex; surface remotely asperate or roughly 

 granulate. Length .5-.G mm. 



One specimen taken by Dury -while sifting dead leaves near New 

 Albany, Floyd County. ]\Iay 25. X southern form, described 

 from Georgia. 



Family XIII. SCAPIIIDIID.K. 



The Shining Fungus Beetles. 



Small, oval, convex, very shining beetles which live in fungi, in 

 rotten wood, dead leaves, or beneath the bark of logs. But little is 

 known regarding their life history, although sonic of them are very 

 common in every piece of woodland. When expos(>d by removing 

 their cover of bark or other material, they either remain quiescent 

 or move rapidly with an uneven, skipping gait. The name of the 

 family is based upon that of the genus Hcaphidiuvu a name meaning 

 "a little skiff or boat," on account of the fancied resemblance in 

 form of the beetles to that of a boat, being thickest and arched in 

 th(^ middle and nari-ow-ed tnward each end, the head small and the 

 abdomen more or less conical and pointed. 



They have the mentum large, (juadratc; palpi .short, four- 

 jointed, the last joint conical; front of head contracted and pro- 

 longed into a short beak; antenna" either hair-like or slightly cla- 

 vate, inserted at the margin of the front; thorax closely applied to 

 the after body; presternum not prolongccl. the coxal c;ivities widely 

 open behind; elytra i)roadly truncate, not covering the tip of the 

 conical abdomen, which has six or seven visible ventral segments. 

 The front coxa^ are rather large, conical and contiguous; middle 



