toy 
7 -itio 
334 . 
NECRODES LITTORALIS. 
Order Coleoptera. Fam. Silphidae Leach. 
Type of the Genus , Silpha littoralis Linn. 
Necrodes With. MSS., Leach, Sam., Lat., Steph. — Silpha Linn., 
Fab., Marsh. 
Antennce inserted before the eyes, close to the base of the man- 
dibles, porrected, shorter than the thorax, clavate and pilose, 
submoniliform, and perfoliate ; 1 1 -jointed, basal joint long and 
robust, 2nd and 3rd elongate-obovate, 4th and 5th subglobose, 
6th 7th and 8th cup-shaped, the remainder larger, fleshy and 
compressed, somewhat bowl-shaped, excepting the last which is 
subovate (6). 
Labrum broad and very short, the anterior margin coriaceous 
and ciliated, concave in the middle (1). 
Mandibles small, very convex externally, slightly pointed, with 
a tooth near the middle, below which they are densely pubes- 
cent (2). 
Maxillcc with a curved and acute claw on the inside, ciliated 
below with dense pubescence, terminal lobe oblong rounded and 
very pubescent. Palpi short, nearly naked, 4-jointed, basal joint 
subglobose, 2nd and 3rd of equal length, clavate-truncate, 4th 
joint shorter, elongate-oval (3). 
Mentum semicircular, coriaceous, dilated and corneous at the 
base. 
Labium large, cordate, clothed with very short pubescence. 
Palpi attached at the base to 2 corneous and bristly scapes, 
longer than the lip and triarticulate, basal joint the longest, 2nd 
and 3rd ovate; all the joints are coriaceous and pale at the 
apex (4). 
Males larger than the females. Head small, subtrigonate, very much 
contracted at the base, but sunk to the Eyes which are large pro- 
minent and oval. Thorax large orbicular. Scutellum large, tri- 
angular. Elytra depressed, truncated and scarcely so long as the 
body. Wings ample. Legs, anterior short. Thighs, posterior in- 
crassated in the males. Tibiae spurred. Tarsi 5 -jointed; anterior 
and middle pair with the 4 first joints dilated and cordate in the 
males, the basal joint a little elongated (5, a fore leg). 
Obs. The dissections are all taken from a male of N. Curtisii. 
Littoralis Linn. Faun. Suec. p. 148. n. 450. Marsh, p. 116. n. 5. 
Curtis's Guide, Gen. 183. 1. Panz. 40./. 15. 9 * — rufo-clavata 
DeG. — femorata Mull. $. 
In the Author's and other Cabinets. 
This well characterized genus was separated from Silpha many 
