76 MYRMECOPHILOUS BEETLES 
shaped antennz),which is quite blind,’ and appears to 
be absolutely dependent upon the ants, as Miller first 
pointed out. It even seems to have lost the power of 
feeding itself; at any rate it is habitually fed by the ants, 
who supply it with nourishment as they do one another. 
Miiller saw the ants caressing the beetles with their 
antenne. The Clavigers have certain tufts of hairs at the 
base of the elytra, and Miller, whose observations have 
since been confirmed by subsequent entomologists, saw 
the ants take their tufts of hairs into their mouths and 
lick them, as well as the whole upper surface of the body, 
with apparently the greatest enjoyment. Grimm? has 
made a similar observation with reference to Dinarda 
dentata, another of these myrmecophilous beetles. 
He several times observed the ants licking the tuft 
of hairs at the end of the abdomen. Lespés? has con- 
firmed this. On one occasion he saw an ant feed a 
Lomechusa. Several of the former were sucking a 
morsel of sugar. The beetle approached one of them, 
and tapped her several times on the head with her 
antenne. The ant then opened her mandibles, and fed 
the Lomechusa as she would have done one of her own 
species. The Lomechusa crept on the sugar, but did 
not appear able to feed herself. 
As might naturally be expected the myrmecophilous 
insects are not found indiscriminately in the nests of 
! Germar’s Mag. de Zcol. 1818, p. 69. 
2 Stettin. Ent. Zeit. 1845, p. 123 
8 Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1855, p. 61. 
