THE DEATH-WATCH AND DRUG STORE BEETLES. 



9 to 11-jointed; head retractile, usually protected by the thorax; 

 labrum distinct; thorax with the side pieces not separate; elytra 

 entire, with distinct epipleurse ; abdomen with five free ventral seg- 

 ments; front and middle coxa? cylindrical or sub-globose, the coxal 

 cavities rounded, open behind; hind coxae transverse; tarsi five- 

 jointed. 



The larva? of the Ptinidas occur with the adults, and are white, 

 soft, grub-like creatures, covered with short, stiff hairs or bristles, 

 and when at rest lie in a curved position like the common white 

 grubs of the genus Lachno sterna, They have six legs, but usually 

 move by drawing themselves along on their sides. Only a few spe- 

 cies, comprising those feeding upon drugs and upon the wood of 

 living trees, are economically important and injurious. The others 

 may be classed as innoxious. 



The principal literature treating of the North American forms 

 is as follows: 



jr eC ont "Prodromus of a Monograph of the Species of the 

 Tribe Anobiini, the Family Ptinidaa inhabiting North Amer- 

 ica," in Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1865, 222-244. 

 Fall, H. C.— 1 Revision of the Ptiniclae of Boreal America," in 



Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, XXXI, 1905, 97-296. 

 Casey.— 'Studies in the Ptinida\ Cioidae and Sphindidae of 



America," in Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc, VI, 1898, 61-93. 

 LeConte and Horn, in their "Classification," and Henshaw, in 

 his Check List, recognize four subfamilies of Ptinidse. Fall, in his 

 latest work, recognizes but two, viz., Ptininm and AnoUince, rele- 

 gating the Lydince to the family Cucujidae, as proposed by Maj. 

 Casey, and proposing a separate and independent family for the 

 subfamily Bostrichina}. Sharp regards these two subfamilies as 

 forming the family Bostrichidaj, and they are so recognized in the 

 present paper. 



Fall, in his Revision, records 53 genera and 259 species of 

 Ptinidae as belonging to the North American fauna, 



KEY TO SUBFAMILIES OF PTINIME. 



a. Antennse inserted upon the front of head and rather close together at 

 base ; thorax without side margin. 



Subfamily I. Ptinin.e, p. S64. 

 aa. Antennse inserted on the sides of head in front of eyes and usually dis- 

 tant at base ; thorax usually margined at sides. 



Subfamily II. Anobiin.-e, p. S6G. 



155—23402] 



