EROTYLID.E. 



109 



the limited European fauna is concerned, but it is when we come 

 to deal with the exotic species, which must necessarily include the 

 enormous number of tropical Erotylid.e, that the difficulty arises, 

 for these by their size, general form, bright and varied coloration, 

 Chrysomelid-like tarsi, etc., are completely in contrast with the 

 Cryptophagid.e. We believe, however, that even as regards the 

 European species the coalition of the two families is wrong ; as 

 they are constituted, the Dacnisle with their distinctly 5-jointed 

 tarsi, etc., certainly possess the essential characters of the 

 Cryptophagid^e, but the mass of the Erotylinjs with their 

 deeply-lobed third tarsal joint and pseudo-tetramerous tarsi are 

 widely separated from them. Some authors, such as Latreille and 

 Dejean, appear to have removed Dacne from the Erotylid7E, 

 which is a logical course to take, and if the Mycet.eiisle (as Sharp 

 believes) are to be separated from the Endomychld.e, the Dacno^e 

 ought also to be regarded as distinct from the Erotylid^e, as the 

 difference in the tarsal characters is precisely the same in both 

 cases (except that the number of tarsal joints is live in one family 

 and four in the other). 



The Languriid.e cannot be regarded as anything but a sub- 

 family of the Erotyliile, although they have been treated by a 

 large number of writers as a distinct family. They are dis- 

 tinguished by their elongate shape and the fact that the anterior 

 coxal cavities are open behind ; they have also been separated on 

 the character of the indistinctness of the separation of the meta- 

 sternal epimera and episterna ; this, however, is incorrect, for as 

 Grorham has pointed out (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1887, p. 358) 

 these are " quite apparent, though not to be easily seen, and only 

 as small points, until the elytra are removed and the side exposed." 

 Many of them possess well-developed stridulating organs on the 

 head. The Helotidje, which have been included by Chapuis and 

 others, must certainly be referred to a separate family, and are 

 more closely allied to the Trogositid.e than to the Erotylid^;. 



The EROTYLiDiE, as at present known, contain upwards of 2000 

 species ; they are scarce and insignificant for the most part in 

 temperate countries, but in the tropics they are plentiful and 

 widely distributed, many of them being very conspicuous and 

 highly coloured insects. The ErotylhstvE live as a rule in 

 fungoid growths on and about timber, and are therefore found 

 chiefly in forests ; the Languriinte, however, are more like the 

 Chrysomelid.e in their habits, and frequent brushwood or various 

 low plants. The larvae of some species at times do considerable 

 damage ; Languria mozardi, for instance, in the larval state, as 

 pointed out by Professor Comstock (Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. 

 Washington, 1879), feeds inside the stems of red-clover, and 

 injures the crop. The full-grown larva is a long yellow grub, 

 about half an inch long, with six prominent legs, a distinct 

 anal appendage or pseudopod, and two stiff slightly upward curved 

 spines on the last abdominal segment. The ialwse of the Eroty- 

 lus\/E appear to be of broader form, with very short legs and 



