172 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
CHAPTER XVI. 
THE MALACODERMATA. 
This section, as here employed, is of an essentially 
artificial nature, comprising insects of very varied 
appearance and structure, which may be considered 
as divided into fourteen families : the Dascillidas, 
Ljcidse, Lampyridse, Drilidse, Teleplioridse, Melyridse, 
Cleridse, Limexylonidse, Cissidis, Sphindidse, Lyctidse, 
Bostric}iidx , Ptinidse, and Anobvidsa ; of these only 
the first six (and perhaps not all of them) can bo 
considered as strictly Malacodermata, wherein the in- 
teguments of the body are not horny, but soft and 
flexible, and usually clothed with short pubescence ; 
the antennae long, filiform or serrate, with generally 
eleven joints, though sometimes this number varies 
to ten or twelve (the latter occurring in certain exotic 
Lampyridai) ; the parts of the mouth nearly mem- 
branous, the mentum being often indistinct, and the 
ligula with no paraglossae; the front coxae conic, ex- 
serted, and sometimes almost cylindrical, and the 
hinder pair transverse, often approximated, and reach 
ing to the edge of the elytra ; the tibiae seldom spurred 
at the apex; tho tarsi five-jointed, though with only 
four joints to those of the front legs in the males of 
certain species ; the abdomen composed of six or seven 
