fOLYMORPHA — DERODONTIDAE CIOIDAE 



245 



—Derodontus inacu- 

 North America. 



longed; middle coxae small; abdomen with Jive visible segments, 

 all mobile, the first not elongated. One of the smallest and least 

 known of the families of Coleoptera ; it 

 consists of four or five species of small 

 Insects of the genera Derodontus and 

 Peltasticta, found in North America, 

 Europe, and Japan. The distinction of the 

 family from Cleridae is hy no means cer- 

 tain ; our European Laricobvus apparently 

 possessing characters but little different. 

 Xothing is known as to the life-histories. 

 Fam. 50. Cioidae. — Small or mimde 

 beetles ; antennae short, terminal joints 

 thicker ; tarsi short, four-jointed ; anterior 

 and middle coxae small, oval, decjily em- 

 bedded ; abdomen ivith five ventral seg- 

 ments, all mobile. The position of these 



obscure little Insects seems to be near Colydiidae and Crypto- 



phagidae, though they are usually 

 placed near Bostrichidae. So far as 

 known, they all live in fungi, or in 

 wood penetrated by fungoid growths. 

 The cylindrical larvae live also in 

 similar matter ; they usually have the 

 body terminated behind by one or two 

 hooks curved upwards ; that of Cis 

 melliei (Fig. 124) has, instead of these 

 hooks, a curious chitinous tube. About 

 300 species of the family are now 

 known ; a score, or so, occurring in 

 Britain. The Hawaiian Islands have 

 a remarkably rich and varied fauna of 

 Cioidae. 



Fam. 51. Sphindidae. — This family 

 of half a dozen species of rare and 

 small Insects, differs from Cioidae by 

 the tarsi being five-jointed at any rate on the front and middle 

 feet, opinions differing as to whether the number of joints of the 

 hind tarsi is four or five. These Insects live in fungi growing 

 in wood, e.g. Reticularia hortensis, that are at first pulpy and 



Fig. 124. — Cis melliei. Jlartin- 

 ique. A, Perfect Insect ; B, 

 pupa ; C, larva ; D, terminal 

 portion of body of larva. 

 (After Coquerel.) 



