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FAMILY L - -S C AR ABiEIDiE . 



the front cavities very large and closed behind; hind coxas flat, 

 transverse ; front tibiae palmate ; tarsal claws generally equal, rarely 

 wanting. 



According to habits the adults of the Scarabaeids are popularly 

 separated into two well-marked groups, known as the dung beetles, 

 or scavengers, and the leaf-chafers. The former have the legs stout, 

 the hind ones set far back behind the middle of the hind-body. 

 They live upon putrefying or decomposing matter, such as the dung 

 of animals, decaying fungi and carrion. Of this group the com- 

 mon "tumble-bugs" and skin beetles (Trox) are well-known ex- 

 amples. The leaf -chafers have the legs rather slender and with the 

 hind legs attached at or before the middle of the hind-body. They 

 feed either upon the leaves of trees or the pollen and petals of 

 flowers, the "rose-bugs" and May-beetles being familiar forms. 



The larvae or grubs of the lamellicorns are either white or yel- 

 lowish in hue, with a brown, horny head bearing prominent mandi- 

 bles. They are usually much wrinkled and enlarged toward the 

 hinder end, and when at rest lie partly coiled up, the tip of the ab- 

 domen almost touching the long spiny legs. They live in the 

 ground, in decaying wood or in excrement. Those which live in the 

 ground are known as ' ' white-grubs, ' ' and often do much damage to 

 the roots of grass, corn and other plants. They will be more fully 

 mentioned in connection with their adults on later pages. Those 

 which live in dung and other refuse matter render man much valu- 

 able aid by removing from sight and smell a great deal of filth. 



The family Searabasidsc comprises about 13,000 described spe- 

 cies, among them the largest beetles known, and is best represented 

 in warm or tropical countries. The name of the family is from the 

 Latin Scarabcmis or Scarab, meaning "a beetle." The Scarab of 

 the ancient Egyptians was a sacred beetle belonging to this family, 

 which they held in high veneration. It was placed by them in the 

 tombs with their dead. Its picture was often painted on their 

 stone coffins or sarcophagi and its image was carved in stone and 

 precious gems. The name scarab was also given by them to a gem, 

 usually of emerald, green feldspar or obsidian, cut in the form of a 

 beetle and engraved on the under face. 



About 600 species of the family are known from North America. 

 These are divided among three subfamilies, and these in turn into 

 tribes and genera. The literature is scattered among many papers, 

 mostly by Drs. LeConte and Horn, and will be mentioned under the 

 tribal or generic headings. 



