NECROPHAGA AND THEIR ALLIES. 
141 
hies, and labrum being small ; both lobes of the 
maxillae are membranous; the head is small and 
deflexed; the thorax fitting close to the elytra, and 
in 8c aphisoma enlarged behind in the middle so as 
to cover the scutellum ; the elytra truncated obliquely 
at the tip, leaving the apex of the abdomen exposed, 
having a sutural and lateral stria, and being covered 
with irregular scratches ; the anterior coxae exserted 
and approximated, the tarsi five-jointed, and the first 
segment of the abdomen very large. 
The Mycetophagid.® are either oblong or oblong- 
oval, moderately convex, and clothed with a depressed 
pubescenco, being also mostly gaily coloured or pret- 
tily variegated. Their anterior coxae are subglobose 
and free, the posterior being subcylindric and trans- 
verse ; they have no paraglossae to the ligula ; the 
segments of the abdomen (5) are all free, and the 
tarsi are four- jointed, the anterior pair in the males 
having only three joints. 
The species are all found in fungi or fungoid growth, 
and are generally abundant when discovered. Myceto- 
phagus multipunctatus (Plate VII., Fig. 2) is one of the 
prettiest, occurring in fungi on rotten oak, &c. The 
irregularly-punctured genus Triphyllus has the club 
of the antennas distinctly formed of three joints, and 
the little yellow delicatoly-striated Typhtea is found 
in profusion at the bottoms of haystacks. 
The DermestiM! have straight, short, clubbed an- 
tennae, inserted in front and sometimes fitting (in 
i - epose) into grooves in the sides of the prothorax ; 
the head small and retractile, and often received into 
a prolongation of the prosternum ; the parts of the 
mouth little prominent ; the anterior coxae conic and 
