OCR Text |
Show INSECTA. the type of the following family, that the first of those naturalists places them in that genus: The organs of.man~ucation present the same affinities; th~s m the firs:, the ltgula 1.s mem. branous bifid or bilobate, as In the LongiCornes; the1r max. illre als; gt'eatly resemble those of these latter; but in the last this ligula is almost square or rounded, and analogous to that of the Cyclica. The maxillary lobes, however, are membranous, or but slightly coriaceous, whitish or yellowish ; the external one is widened near the extremity and does not present the figure of a palpus, characters which give these parts more resem· blance to those of the Longicornes than to those of the Cy· clica. The body is more or less oblong, and the head and thorax are narrower than the abdomen; the antennro are fili· form, or gradually enlarge towards the .extremity and are inserted before the eyes, which, in some, are entire, round, and tolerably prominent; and, in others, are slightly emargi· nated. The head is received posteriorly into the thorax, which is cylindrical or forms a transverse square. The abdomen is large, compared to the other joints of the body, and forms a long square or an elongated triangle. The joints of the tarsi, with the exception of the last, are furnished with pellets beneath, and the penultimate is bifid or bilobate. The posterior thighs are strongly inflated in a great many, and hence the denomination of the family. All these Insects have wings, and are found on the stems or leaves of various plants, but:' so far as regards a great num· her of species that inhabit France, on those of the Liliacere particularly. The larvre of some-the Donacire-attack the internal part of the roots of aquatic plants, on which we find the perfect Insect. Those of several others live exposed, but they cover themselves with their excrements which they form with a sort of case or scabbard, like that of the Cassidre. We will divide this family into two tribes: .The first, that of the SAGRIDES, is composed, as its name indicates, of the genus COLEOPTERA. 545 SAGRA. The mandibles terminate in a sharp point. Th l' 1 e 1gu a is pro~.oundly emarginate or bilobate. In some, the palpi are filiform, the eyes emarginated, the posterior thighs very stout, and the tibire arcuated. MEGALOPtrs, Fab. The anterior extremity of the head projecting in the manner of a snout; strong and c:ossed. mandibles; the pal pi terminated by an elongated and very pomted Joint; the ligula deeply cleft into two elongated lobes; t~e body short, with a transve1·sal, square, or trapezoidal thorax. 1 he antennre gradually enlarge towards the extremit . d b y, or are termmate Y an elongated club; their third joint is longer than the second and fourth, and the four posterior legs are long, slender, and arcuated. These Insects are peculia1· to South Amel'ica( 1 ). The SAGRA, Fab. Or Sagrre proper] y so called, originally designated by the name of .B.lurnt:e, are exclusively confined to certain parts of southern Africa, Ceylon and China. Their palpi are terminated by an ovoid joint the divisions of the ligula are short, the thorax is cylindrical, th~ antennre are almost filiform, longer than the head and thorax, with their inferior joints shorter than the others, and the four anterior tibire tolerably thick, but slightly elongated, angular and straight. These Insects have a uniform but very brilliant colour, green, golden, or a fulgid-red, with a slight mixture of violet(2). In the others, the palpi are thicker at the extremity, the eyes are entire, and the thighs of nearly equal thickness. The body is almost always elongated, narrow, slightly depressed or but little elevated, and the thorax uanowed posteriorly, and almost always cordiform. 0RsODAONA, Lat. Oliv.-Crioceris, Fab. Where the antennre are filiform and composed of obconical joints, where the last joint of the palpi is merely a little larger than the ' (I) Besides Fabricius, Latreille, Olivier, Gennar, and Dalman, see the excellent Monograph of this genus, published by M. Kliig, and the observation on this genus by Count Mannerheim, who, to the figures flf certain species, has added some my good ones of the parts of the mouth. (2) See Fab., and Oliv., V, 90. v OL. III. -3 T |