48 ANNULOSA JAVANICA. 



received it as, he says, an uninvited guest in a collection of insects from the East-Indies. Fabri- 

 ciuo says of his Trogosita ferruginea " Habitat in India utraque destruens animalia in Museis 

 asservata, panem, aliaque." The name of Xylophagi given to this groupe of insects by Latreille, 

 seems indeed to be one of the most inappropriate that he could have chosen, since I do not know 

 that there is any ascertained instance of a species devouring wood. He grouped them, 

 however, with the Bostrichidce, to which they have little or no immediate affinity, and which 

 are true Xylophagi. Many of the present insects indeed are to be found under bark, but 

 this residence may be owing to their taste for the fungi and dead animal matter which 

 usually abound in such situations. Those with the habits of which we are acquainted 

 devour fruits, corn, and decayed animal matters. Thus the celebrated Degeer ascertained 

 that his Tenebrion du lard, which is a species of Latridius, in its larva state devours bacon. 

 The figure and description of this larva proves satisfactorily that these insects are properly placed 

 among the Necrophaga and near the Dermestidce. There appears moreover to be a strong rela- 

 tion of analogy between the form of Latridius and certain species of the contiguous stirps of Phil- 

 hydrida, such as for instance the Hydrcence among the Elophoridce. 



The Tribolium castaneum is often to be found in collections as an English insect, but is only, 

 as I suspect, a visitor of our island. 



Fam. 5. DERMESTID^E. 



That this family was in the opinion of Linnasus closely connected with the last, sufficiently 

 appears from the following sentence in his Biga Insectorum, " Unde patet genera insectorum 

 nova admodum esse rara, nisi ante cognita quispiam vellet separata ut Hydroum a Dytiscis, 

 Ipsidem a Dermestibus." In several genera of the last family the mandibles are short and thick, 

 concealed under the clypeus, and in these insects the mandibles are always of this construction. 



Herbst has given an excellent magnified figure of the larva of the common Dermestes and 

 this figure sufficiently proves that we are here at the very extremity of Chilopodiform larvae. 

 It is indeed from this family that we proceed to the neighbouring tribe of Chilognathiform 

 larva;. 



Genus DERMESTES. Lin. 



93. Vulpims. D. niger subtus albidus capite thoracisque lateribus cinereo-vtilosis, scuteUo testaceo-villoso, 



elytris submurinis. 

 Dermestes vulpinus. Fab. Syst. Eleuth. 1. 314. 12. 



Long. corp. ^. 

 Obs. This destructive insect appears to be very generally dispersed over the old world. It is at 

 least too common in France, the whole of the south of Europe, Africa, aud India. In my 

 father's collection there is also one marked as from Cayenne. The ubiquity, however, of such 

 insects as these which inhabit skins, &c. may be owing to their attendance on man. 



Genus CHELONAR1UM. Fab. 



94. Villosum. C . nigropiceum nitidum subpunctatum, elytris substriatis, tarsis rufescentibus, antennarum 



articulis ultimis pallidis. 



Long. corp. i. 

 Insectum totum villo denso cinereo obtectum. 



Obs. 



