Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . nd widened in the males, while theyare cylindrical in the females. The Beetles, however, of whichwe are treating, have the joints cylindrical in both sexes, andthey are on that account grouped together in the genus calledProcerus. This word is Greek, signifying a herald, and is given THE ADONIS BEETLE. 29 the Proceri because they are, so to speak, the heralds or fore-runners of the true Carabi. The accent, by the way, is laid onthe second syllable, thus, Procerus. This fine insect measur
Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . nd widened in the males, while theyare cylindrical in the females. The Beetles, however, of whichwe are treating, have the joints cylindrical in both sexes, andthey are on that account grouped together in the genus calledProcerus. This word is Greek, signifying a herald, and is given THE ADONIS BEETLE. 29 the Proceri because they are, so to speak, the heralds or fore-runners of the true Carabi. The accent, by the way, is laid onthe second syllable, thus, Procerus. This fine insect measures about two inches in length, and atfirst sight looks rough and black. All specimens indeed areblack on the under surface, and some are black entirely. Butmany, such as the specimen from which the drawing is taken,are of the richest violet, with a tendency to purple, and agreenish sheen round the edges of the thorax and elytra. Thewhole of the upper surface is deeply and largely granulatedand punctured, this structure giving increased richness to thesplendid violet and purple with which it is Fig. 7.—Procerus tauricus.(Deep purple.) It will be seen, on reference to the illustration, that the pro-jecting tubercles which are formed of the granulations arearranged in nearly regular longitudinal rows, as is the case withseveral of our own Ground Beetles. This insect is spread overthe eastern and southern parts of Europe, the Caucasus, andAsia Minor. It does not seem to flourish near the sea, and isfound in best condition on the mountainous districts. We now take an example of the typical genus, the singularlybeautiful Carabus Adonis, an insect which well deserves its name, 30 INSECTS ABROAD. being both elegant in shape and splendid in colour. Moreover,its chief residence is Mount Parnassus. Indeed, so gorgeous isthe colouring, that it really looks like a tropical insect. As is often the case with Ground Beetles, this insect isexceedingly variable both in size and detai
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1883
