140 



INTRODUCTION. 



the larvaj of various bees ; the larvae and perfect insects of other 

 species enter the borings of certain beetles and destroy their larvae. 

 Thus Tillus elongatus preys upon Ptilinus ; Thanasimus formicarius 

 on Hylastes, and Corynetes on Anobium. The}' are therefore 

 decidedly useful insects. 



Certain of the Clerid.e are very like bees (this is especially the 

 case with Trkliodes), while others bear a strong resemblance to 

 large ants ; these resemblances are probably very useful in the 

 economy of the insect. 



The species of Necrobia and its allies are in many cases found 

 in old bones, hides, etc., and have been widely spread by commerce 

 until they are now cosmopolitan. The following are the chief 

 divisions of the family as given by Lacordaire, and in substance by 

 Leconte and Horn, and recently by Schenkling ( Wytsman's 'Genera 

 Insectorum 



I. Tarsi 5-jointed; pronotum continuous with the 

 parapleural 



i. All the tarsal joints visible from above Tilling. 



ii. Xot all the tarsal joints visible from above ; at 



most this is the case with the front tarsi, and, 

 apart from these exceptions, the first joint is 

 covered by the second and is sometimes very 

 small, 

 1. Eyes emarginate. 



A. Eves emorgiuate in front, as a rule 



strongly, rarely feebly Clerin^e. 



B. Eyes emarginate on their inner side .... Phyllobtenin-ZE. 

 "2. Eyes entire or very slightly emarginate. . . . Hydnocebin.e. 



ii. Tarsi 4-jointed; pronotum separated from the 

 parapleurae by a more or less distinct margin. 



i. Antennae serrate, or with three very large 



terminal joints Enopliin^. 



ii. Antennae with a smaller 3-jointed club Corynetin.t3. 



Mr. C. J. Gahan in his paper '"Xotes on Clerid.e" which has 

 recently appeared in the Annals & Magazine of Natural History 

 {ser. 8, vol. v, January 1910, pp. 55-76) points out that, although 

 Lacordaire's main divisions as given above are correct, vet the 

 distinction between them is not quite accurately stated. As a 

 matter of fact, all the Clerid.e, with scarcely an exception, have 

 the tarsi 5-jointed, but in many genera the fourth joint is very 

 small, and in many cases has been quite lost sight of, in consequence 

 of which not a few genera of Cleriile have been placed in a wrong 

 subfamily. The distinctions should therefore be " tarsi distinctly 

 5-jointed" and " tarsi apparently 4-jointed." 



Mr. G-ahan discusses at length the relative importance of the 

 character afforded by the presence or absence of a lateral margin 

 on the prothorax, and disagrees with Prof. Lameere'"s conclusion 

 that " the Corynetlnje having retained the lateral margin of the 

 prothorax cannot be descended from the Clerin^e which have lost 

 it ; on the other hand, the latter cannot be derived from the 



