234 



COLEOPTERA 



Fam. 31. Rhysodidae. — Tarsi four -jointed ; moutli-jxuts 

 covered liy the large inentum ; front tibiae notched on the inner 

 edge. This family consists only of a few species, but is found 

 nearly all over the world in the warm and temperate regions. 

 In many of their characters they resemble the Adephaga, but are 

 very different in appearance and in the mouth. The larvae are 

 not known. Some authorities think these Insects should be 

 placed in the series Adephaga/ but it is more probable that they 

 will prove to be amongst the numerous aberrant forms of Coleop- 

 tera that approach the various large natural series, without 

 really belonging to them. The three families, Colydiidae, Cucu- 

 jidae, and Ehysodidae, exhibit relations not only with other 

 families of the Coleoptera Polymorpha, but also with most of the 

 great series ; Adephaga, Ehynchophora, Phytophaga, and Hetero- 

 niera, being each closely approached. 



Fam. 32. Cucujidae. — Tarsi five- or four-jointed, the fivst 

 joint often short : antennae sometimes chobbed, but onore often 

 quite thin at the tip ; front and middle coxae deej^lg embedded, 

 globular, but with ari angular prolongation extenudly ; abdomen 

 with fire visible ventral segments, all movahle. This family and 



the Cryptophagidae are amongst the 

 ^^^ most difticult families to define ; 

 indeed it is in this portion of the 

 Clavicorns that an extended and 

 thorough study is most urgently 

 required. The Cucujidae include a 

 great diversity of forms ; they are 

 mostly found under the bark of trees, 

 and many of th'em are very flat. 

 Many of the larvae are also very 

 Y\Q.\\Z.— Brontes jilanahis. Britain, flat, but Perris says there is great 



A, Larva; B, pupa ; C, perfect -,. -^ • j_i • , . i 



Insect. (A and B after Perris.) diversity in their Structure : they 



are probably chiefly carnivorous. 

 There are about 400 species described ; we have nearly a score in 

 Britain. 



The family Cupesidae of certain taxonomists must be at 

 present associated with Cucujidae, though the first joint of the 

 tarsus is elongate. 



^ See Ganglbauer, Kof. MitteUuropas, i. p. 530, as well as Leoonte and Horn 

 Classification, etc., p. 130. 



