THE PIKl'TLIBS OR UGIITNINfi Bl'GS. 809 



search of their pre\'. j\.ll fire for the most i)art carnivorous in 

 diet, especially iu the larval stage, feeding nm-itly upon small 

 worms, larva' of other in-iects. and snails, and are therefore to be 

 considered among our more beneficial beetles. The hii'viv are elon- 

 gated, flattened, usually a little tapering toward each end, of a 

 tough or leathery texture and often clothed with short hairs. They 

 are furnished with sharp, slender projectioi;- .jaws with which they 

 seize their prey. They occur usually beneath rubbish on the ground, 

 or under the bark of logs and dead tree^, ^vhere they lie in wait for 

 small wood-eating larva-. 



The principal literature treating of the North American species 

 of the family is as follows : 



LeConte. — "Synopsis of the Lampyiides of Temperate North 

 America," in Proc. Phil. Acad. Sci , V, 1S51, 331-347. 



LeConte. — "Synopsis of the Lamjiyriche of the V . S.," in Trans. 

 Amer. Entom. Soc, IX, 1881, 15-72. 



Nearly 1,500 specie^ of Larapyrida' are known, about 230 of 

 which, distributed among 12 genera, are from the United States. 

 Of these, 68 species, belonging to 25 genera, have leen taken in In- 

 diana. For convenience the family is divided into three subfam- 

 ilies, all of which are i-epresentcd iu the Stale. 



KEY TO SUBFAMILIES OF LA JIPYEID.E. 



«. Middle coxib separated ; elytra for the most part reticulate ; epipleura 

 wanting; abdomen without phosphorescent organs. 



Subfamily I. Lycin^, p. 809. 

 u(i. Middle coxte contiguous; elytra not reticulate; epipleura distinct. 



6. Head nearly or quite covered by the thorax ; episterna of metathorax 

 sinuate on the inner side ; eiiipleura usually wide at the base of 

 the elytra ; phosphorescent organs usually present. 



Subfamily II. Lampykin.-e, p. 810. 

 Z)6. Head wholly uncovered by the thorax ; episterna of metathorax not 

 sinuate on the inner side ; epipleura narrow at the base ; phos- 

 phorescent organs absent. Subfamily III. Telephobin^, p. 825. 



Subfamily I. LYCINAE. 



The members of this subfamily ai'e diurnal and occur usually on 

 the leaves and tlo^\•ers of plants, where they seek insect food. They 

 have the epipleura rsduced to a narrow thickened marginal line, 

 and the middle coxa:' rather widel>- separated by the mesosternum. 

 The elytra are usually co.staie and coarsely reticulate, with fine 

 elevated lines forming a coai'se network. The head is sometinies 

 prolonged in front of the eyes into a long, narrow beak. To the 



