POLYMORPRA SCAPHIDIIDAE — SYNTELIIDAE 



229 



Fig. 108. — Scaphisoma arjari- 

 cinum. Britain. A 

 Larva {after Perris) ; B 

 perfect Insect. 



Fam. 24. Scaphidiidae. — Front coxae small, conical ; protJiorax 

 very closely apiiliecl to the after-'body ; Mnd coxae transrcrse, widely 

 separated: alidomen with six or seven visible ventred j)lates ; 

 antennae at the extremity with aboict Jive joints that become 

 (jraducdly broader. Tarsi Jive-jointed. This family consists of a 

 few beetles that live in fungi, and run with extreme rapidity ; 

 they are all small, and usually rare in collections. Some of the 

 exotic forms are remarkable for the ex- 

 treme tenuity and fragility of the long 

 antennae, which bear fine hairs. The 

 number of described species does not at 

 present reach 200, but the family is very 

 widely distributed. We have three or 

 four species in Britain. All we know of 

 the larvae is a description of that of 

 Scaphisoma ayaricinum by Perris ;^ it is 

 like the larva of Staphylinidae, there are 

 nine abdominal segments in addition to a 

 very short, broad pseudopod, and very short 

 cerci. This larva feeds on agarics ; it goes through its development 

 in about three weeks ; unlike the adult it is not very active. 



Fam. 25. Synteliidae. — Antennae davicom, with very large 

 club : labimri, luith hypoglottis and the piarts beyond it, ea:posed. 

 Front coxae traiisverse. Abdomen with Jive visible ventred segments, 

 and eight or nine dorscd, the based Jour oj tvhich are semi-corneous. 

 This family includes only five species; its clas- 

 sification has given rise to much difference 

 of opinion. "We have, after consideration 

 of all its characters, estaljlished it as a 

 distinct family ^ allied to Silphidae. The 

 perfect Insects live on the sap running from 

 trees : but nothing else is known of their 

 natural history. Like so many others of 

 the very small families of aberrant Cole- 

 optera, it has a very wide distribution ; 

 Fig. \()<).-.^yntdia west- Sijntelia being found in Eastern Asia and 

 2Doodi. Mexico. (From Mexico, while the sub-family Sphaeritides 

 occurs, as a single species, m Europe and 

 The earlier instars are unknown. 



Biol. Centr. Amer.) 



North America. 



Lanesde CoUopteres, 1878, p. 11, pi. i. - Biol. Centr. Amer. Col.ii. pt. i. p. 438. 



