SCRArTIIDvE. MOEDELLIDiE. 



167 



Family 82. SCRAPTIID^. 



Small and very delicate bisects ; head more raised than the 

 anterior margin of the prothorax, strongly constricted behind the 

 eyes ; upper surface depressed ; antenna; filiform ; eyes deeply emar- 

 ginate ; maxillary palpi more or less strongly securiform or elongate 

 securiform ; anterior coocal cavities open behind ; posterior tibice as 

 long as the tarsi ; penultimate joint of tarsi strongly bilobed ; claws 

 toothed at base, the teeth being rudimentary. 



This family comes between the Melandkyid^ and Morjdelliile 

 and is here regarded as containing Scraptia (under which Allopoda, 

 Lee, Oalasia, Hald., and Canifa, Lee, are included), Pseudo- 

 scraptia and Trotomma. The species, some thirty or forty in 

 number, are mostly confined to the Palsearctic region, but one 

 species of Scraptia has been described from Ceylon and two or 

 three from Chili. As a rule they are very scarce, but are occa- 

 sionally found in numbers. The species of Scraptia occur in 

 rotten wood, hard fungus on trees, etc. They bear a strong 

 resemblance to Anaspis, and appear to fall most naturally under 

 the Mokdellid.e, but in several points they are more closely 

 allied to the Melandbyidje, and I have already pointed out 

 (Coleoptera of the British Islands, vol. v, p. 64) that it seems 

 the best plan to regard them as a separate family, as it places the 

 insects in a position between the two families without connecting 

 them with either. The genus Scraptia has been classed by dif- 

 ferent authors with veiy different lleteromerous families. 



The larva of Scraptia fuscula, Mull., has been described and 

 figured by Perris (Larves de Coleopteres, p. 341, pi. x, f. 371) ; 

 it is elongate and setose at the sides, and presents no striking- 

 peculiarity except as regards the last abdominal segment, which 

 is as long as the three preceding and elongate spoon-shaped. It 

 appears to offer no point of connection with either the larvse of 

 Mordella or Melandrya, and differs entirely from the larva of 

 Anaspis in the formation of the last abdominal segment Both 

 the larva and the perfect insect are probably, to a certain extent, 

 myrmecophilous. 



Family 83. MOEDELLID/E 



Head, vertical, ridged behind, ivhen at rest bent under the pro- 

 sternum, suddenly constricted just behind the eyes, neclc very small ; 

 antennce eleven-jointed, slender, inserted before the eyes; maxillary 

 palpi with the last joint more or less securiform ; prothorax as wide at 

 base as elytra, ivith the margins sharp and distinct; anterior coxa large 

 and conical, cavities open behind ; posterior coxa 3 laminate, sometimes 



