560 FAMILY XXI CUCr.JlI.-K. 



Family XXI. CLCUJID,E. 

 Tile Flat Bark Beetles. 



The Cucujidae rnnstitute a small family of very depressed elon- 

 gate beetles. As ^Ir. Dnry has well .said: "The meinliers of the 

 family are striking examj)li=-s "f fonn^ modified for an existern't- 

 under the Imise. eh.— lyint; bark of tr''>-^. luablintr them to squeeze 

 into creviees. where they find fond for their larvie. and which the 

 eternally vigilant ant cannot penetrate." The name ■"Cueujiis" 

 is of South American orisin. and its meaning is not certain. It is 

 said to be applied by the natives to a luminous snapping lieetle 

 (Elafer iioctilucus L. . of Brazil and adjoining countries. 



From allied families the Cucu.jidae may be di-stinguished by 

 having the antenna 11-jointed. inserted at the margin of the front, 

 sometimes long and slender, -'imetimes with the outer .joints slightly 

 enlarged: scntellum distinct: elytra rounded at tip and covering 

 the abdomen, usually flat and strongly margined; front coxal cavi- 

 ties widely separated, n-ually cList-i] behind, though open in sc>iiie 

 .sTibfamilies. the coxae rounded or >n.ljglobular. neit prominent; 

 middle cjjxte small, subtriangular, not prominent : hind coxse nearly 

 cuntigiious. tran-.^vl■<H ; abdomen with five free ventral segments. 

 equal in length; legs rather slmrt. fenmra large; tibiae slender, ter- 

 minated by tvvo spurs. 



The larvae of the Cucu.iidfe, as far as known, are flattened grulis 

 with distinct antennaj and sevf-ral simple eyes, the terminal seg- 

 ment ending in iiooks or tubercles. Like the mature beetles they 

 live under bark, and some of them are carnivipriTus. feeding upon 

 mites, podurid^ and -mall lar\8e of wood-boring l>^tles. sci that in 

 general they may be regarded as beneficial. However, two of the 

 beetles. Silvanvs siirina)nrii-<i.<. and I'nthtirtvs aclvena, infest stored 

 grain, dried fruits and other stores, and an- therefore nfteu quite 

 injurious. 



The principal literature treatiuL' of the North American forms 

 is as follows : 



Lff'oiifi. — •Revi-ion of the r'uciiiides of the Fnited States." 

 in Proc. Phil. Acad. Xat. S -i.. VII. 1-.',4. 7.3-70 



Ca.^fij. — ■Puvisinii of tlie ( ucujiche if America Xorth of 

 ilexieo." I'ri Trans. .Vmer. Ent. Soe.. XI. l^^l. 60-112. 



WicJihrnn. — •The Cucujidae of (intario and i^Miebec."" in Can. 

 Ent. XX^^I. l-O.l. 2.";-2:i. 



