SYXTELIIDJE. 



99 



Family 28. SYNTELIIDiE. 



Form elongate-oblong, subcylindrical, somewhat depressed ; an- 

 tennce subgeniculate, ivith a broad compressed club ; anterior coxed 

 cavities closed behind ; anterior coxai transverse, conico-cylindrical, 

 somewhat projecting, contiguous ; pronotum f ree, not fitted to base of 

 elytra ; posterior coxce strongly transverse, contiguous ; elytra not 

 completely covering abdomen ; tarsi five-jointed, simple, ivith the first 

 four joi?its equal ; abdomen with five visible ventral segments and 

 eight or nine dorsal, all corneous. Median loop of the wing veins 

 much contracted. 



The position of this family, which contains one genus and five 

 or six species, has been much disputed. Westwood placed it in 

 the Trogositid.e, but it is separated from 

 this family by the structure of the antennae 

 and tarsi, the contiguous posterior coxae, 

 the exposed pygidium, the entirely corneous 

 dorsal segments of the abdomen, the wing 

 venation, etc. ; it appears to be most closely 

 allied to the Histeejd^, with which it 

 agrees in the structure of the antennae and 

 the corneous dorsal plates, but differs in the 

 contiguous anterior coxae, the contiguous and 

 transverse posterior coxae, and the different 

 relations of the side-pieces of the meso- and 

 meta-thorax. The wing venation is very like 

 that of Hister, for although a median loop is 

 Fig. 47. present, yet it is very much contracted and 



Syntelia indica. situated 'high up towards the base of the 

 wing, and the general venation is rather that 

 of the Staph ylinoidea than of the Clavicorxia. 



Syntelia is also allied to the Silphldj?;, but differs in the form 

 of the antennae and mandibles, in the absence of trochantins to 

 the front and middle coxae, and in the corneous dorsal plates. 



Its nearest ally, perhaps, is Sphairites, which Dr. Sharp regards 

 as forming a subfamily of the S y nte li id iE , but it is distinguished 

 by the shape of the first joint of the antennae, the more slender 

 legs, the fact of the pronotum being closely adapted to the base 

 of the elytra, the anterior coxal cavities open behind, and the 

 entirely different facies ; at the same time the wing venation is 

 very similar. Mr. Gr. Lewis originally placed his aberrant genus 

 Niponius under Synteliid^e, but afterwards transferred it to the 

 Histerid.e. Nothing appears to be known about the life-history 

 of Syntelia. The species occur in very widely separated localities, 

 in India, Eastern Asia, and Mexico ; they have been found at sap 

 running from trees. 



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