File:The natural history of beetles - illustrated by thirty-two plates, numerous wood-cuts, with memoir and portrait of Ray (1852) (14764496195).jpg

Identifier: naturalhistoryof01dunc (find matches)
Title: The natural history of beetles : illustrated by thirty-two plates, numerous wood-cuts, with memoir and portrait of Ray
Year: 1852 (1850s)
Authors: Duncan, James, 1804-1861 Jardine, William, Sir, 1800-1874 Lizars, W. H. (William Home), 1788-1859, engraver
Subjects: Ray, John, 1627-1705 Beetles
Publisher: Edinburgh : W.H. Lizars London : Henry G. Bohn
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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ernalmargin of the elytra is straight without any sinuosity,a character which distinguishes the true Ateuchi fromthe species that constitute the genus Gymnopleurus.There is no perceptible scutellum, nor any openingat the base of the sutural line indicating its place.The four hinder legs are slender, elongate, andfringed with long hairs ; the tibia? are scarcely thick-ened at the tip, where they are truncated obliquely,and armed with a strong acute spine. The dilatedanterior part of the head is divided into six teeth,and an elevated process of the cheek (strictly thecanthus) runs nearly across the eye, dividing theupper portion from the lower. The genus, as above defined, contains abouttwenty-six species. They are confined to the oldworld, in which however they have an extensiverange of distribution. ATEUCHUS SACER SACRED EGYPTIAN BEETLE. PLATE X. Fig. 1. Scarabseus sacer, Linn—Fabricius—Olivier, Entom. pi. 8,fig. 59, a, b. The colour is entirely black, and the surface ra- PLATE 10
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2 Li*uu\i sc. COLEOPTEKOTTS INSECTS. 189 ther shining, except the elytra, which are somewhatobscure. The anterior part of the head is rough withshallow punctures, and there are two small approxi-mating tubercles placed in the middle of the fore-head between the eyes. The thorax is somewhatconvex, marked with numerous minute points ante-riorly, and entirely surrounded by a narrow margin,which is crenulated behind. The elytra are usuallymore obscure than the other parts of the body, andwithout any other impressions on their surface thana few scattered punctures. The anterior tibiae arearmed with four long teeth on their outer edge, andthe posterior pair are slightly bent inwards. All ofthem are pretty thickly clothed with fine hairs. This species is very common in all the southerncountries of Europe, especially in those that liealong the shores of the Mediterranean. It likewiseoccurs in the east, and seems to be diffused over allAfrica, from Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope. This renowned

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