THE CHECKERED BEETLES. 



847 



are handsome in color and varied in form, being for the most part 

 elongate, graceful and pubescent. The thorax is generally elon- 

 gate and often much narrower than the elytra and head; this, to- 

 gether with the rather long legs, short antennae and more or less 

 cylindrical form, gives to many of the species a very ant-like ap- 

 pearance. Others, especially some of the members of the tribe 

 Enopliini, strongly resemble some of the Lampyridse or fireflies. 



From allied families the Cleridse may be known by having the 

 antennae 11-, rarely 10-jointed, inserted at the sides of the front, 

 generally serrate, the outer joints larger, forming an open, or, less 

 often, a compact club; elytra usually entire or nearly so; tarsi of 

 all the legs 5-jointed, the first and fourth joints often very small 

 and inconspicuous, and all but the fifth furnished with membranous 

 appendages ; front coxs prominent, usually contiguous, rather large, 

 the cavities usually open behind; hind coxse flat; ventral segments 

 free (mobile), the first ventral not elongate; presternum not pro- 

 longed behind. 



The Cleridse occur chiefly on flowers, recently cut timber, trunks 

 and foliage of trees and low shrubs. The species are predaceous in 

 both the larval and adult stages, wood-boring species (Scolytidse, 

 etc.), such as burrow in the sap-wood, being especially to their lik- 

 ing. The slender form and short legs of the larvse enable them to 

 enter the bores of their prey to feed on the early stages, and the 

 adults are sufficiently active to capture and devour the perfect 

 stage of various xylophagous Coleoptera. Soine of the species are 

 found in the nests and ill-kept hives of bees. The genus Necrobia, 

 which has been generally supposed to be a carrion feeder, is prob- 

 ably also carnivorous, as the investigations of Perris make it likely 

 that they infest such refuse to capture and eat the Dipterous larvse 

 which are so numerous in such situations. 



The principal synoptic paper dealing exclusively with the North 

 American species is out of print and very difficult to procure. It 

 and others treating of the f amih^ are : 



LeConte. — "Synopsis of the Coleopterous Insects of the Group 

 Cleridse which inhabit the United States," in Ann. N. Y. 

 Lye. Nat. Hist., V, 1849, 9-35. 



Wickham. — "The Coleoptera of Canada — The Cleridae of On- 

 tario and Quebec," in Can. Ent., XXVII, 1895, 247-253. 



Horn. — "Synopsis of the species of Cymatodera and Trichodes 

 of the United States," in Trans. Am.er. Ent. Soc., V, 1876, 

 220-232. 



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