. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. COLEOPTERA some forty or fifty species, found chiefly in Europe and I^ortli America. Wo have three in Britain; one of these, Mycetaea hirta is Yea'j common, and may be found in abundance in cellars in the heart of London, as well as elsewhere; it is said to have injured the corks of wine-bottles, and to have caused leakage of the wine, but we think that it perhaps only increases some previous deficiency in the corkage, for its natural food is fungoid matters. The larva is remarkable on account of the clubbed hairs at the sides of the body. Fam. 41
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. COLEOPTERA some forty or fifty species, found chiefly in Europe and I^ortli America. Wo have three in Britain; one of these, Mycetaea hirta is Yea'j common, and may be found in abundance in cellars in the heart of London, as well as elsewhere; it is said to have injured the corks of wine-bottles, and to have caused leakage of the wine, but we think that it perhaps only increases some previous deficiency in the corkage, for its natural food is fungoid matters. The larva is remarkable on account of the clubbed hairs at the sides of the body. Fam. 41. Latridiidae.—Tarsi tlircc-jointcd; anterior coxal cavities round, not proloiiged externally; ahdomen with Jive visible and mobile ventral segments. Very small Insects, species of which are numerous in most parts of the world, the individuals being sometimes very abundant. The larvae (Fig. 120, A) are said by Perris to have the mandibles replaced by fleshy appendages. The pupa of Latridius is remarkable, on account of the numerous long hairs with heads instead of points; the larva of Corticaria is very like that of Latridius, but some of the hairs are replaced by obconical projections. The sub-family Monotomides is by many treated as a distinct family ; they have the elytra truncate behind, exposing the pygidium, and the coxae are very small and very deeply embedded. Most of the Latridiidae are believed to live on fungoid matters; species of Monotoma live in ants' nests, but probably have no relations with the ants. A few sx3ecies of Latridiides proper also main- tain a similar life; Coluocera formicaria is said to be fond of the stores laid up by Aplmenogaster structor in its nests. About 700 species are now known; scarcely any of the individuals are more than one-tenth of an inch long. We Fig. 120.—Latridius mimitus. have about 40 species in Britain. The ?"^^'^"- J^ YT, ^1''' i Perns) ; B, perfect Insect. North American genus Stephostethus has the prosternum co
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsh, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
