ENDOMYCHIDiE. 
309 
Cucurbitaceous and Solanaceous plants are their food and they may 
be destructive when abundant. 
Collecting. —Coccinellids are of such impor¬ 
tance that no opportunity of collecting 
should be lost. Above all, when collecting, 
it is useful to search carefully for their food ; 
the value of each species depends wholly 
upon their food and while some are restric¬ 
ted to one or a very few insects, others are 
Fig. 188.—Epilachna probably less restricted. The question of 
DODECA-STIGMA. p ^ ... 
food also determines the times at which 
they are prevalent and we are still largely ignorant of how these insects 
pass through the year. Coccinellid larvae are very easy to rear if given 
sufficient food and the adults, if well fed, lay eggs freely in captivity. 
Endomychid^:. 
Antennae moderately long with a three-jointed club. Tarsi 
apparently three-jointed but really four-jointed ; 
the basal two joints broad. 
These beetles are distinct from all but the preceding ( Cocdnellidce) 
in the peculiar tarsi ; the longer clubbed antennae further separate them 
from Cocdnellidce. The family is not a 
large one ; all known are apparently feeders 
on lichens and fungi, and are found in 
concealment often gregariously. They are 
characteristic of moister warm areas than 
the plains of India. The transformations 
of several species have been recorded in 
America and Europe, but much remains 
to be learnt. The student should consult 
Gorham’s papers ; the species of Ceylon 
are described (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1886, p. 
154) and some new Indian species (loc. cit. 
1897, p. 456, Ann. Soc. Ent. Beige, 1895, 
p. 328, 1903, p. 323). Nineteen Indian 
species are recorded. 
Fig. 189.— Eumorphus 
PULCHRIPES. 
