FAM. 71. PYROCHROIDAE.—Differs from Melandryidae by the head forming a very narrow neck behind, and by the penultimate tarsal joints being broad. They are feeble Insects, though active on the wing. They are destitute of any of the various remarkable structures found in Mordellidae. Only about forty species are known, and the family is confined to the north temperate region, being best represented in Japan. _Pyrochroa rubens_ is common in some parts of England; the larva is found under the bark of tree-stumps; it is remarkably flat, and has the eighth abdominal segment unusually long, while the ninth terminates the body in the form of two long sharp processes. FAM. 72. ANTHICIDAE.—_Head with an abrupt narrow neck; prothorax narrower than the elytra. Middle and hind coxae placed in definite acetabula. Claws simple._ These little Insects are numerous in species; they have little resemblance to Pyrochroidae, though the characters of the two families cause us to place them in proximity. There are about 1000 species known; though we have only about 12 in Britain, they are very numerous in the Mediterranean region. The family Pedilidae of Lacordaire and some others is now merged in Anthicidae. Thomson and Champion, on the other hand, separate some very minute Insects to form the family Xylophilidae, on account of certain differences in the form of the abdomen and tarsi. The Xylophilidae live in dead wood; the Anthicidae, on the surface of the earth, after the manner of ground-beetles; very little is, however, known as to their natural history. FAM. 73. OEDEMERIDAE.—_Prothorax not forming sharp edges at the sides, head without a narrow neck. Penultimate tarsal joint broad; claws smooth._ These Insects usually have a feeble integument, and bear a certain resemblance to Malacodermidae. Less than 500 species are known, but they are widely distributed, and occur in both temperate and tropical regions. The larvae live in old wood. _Nacerdes melanura_ is common on our {267}coasts, where its larva lives in timber cast up by the sea, or brought down by floods, and it is able to resist immersion by the tide. It is remarkable from the possession of five pairs of dorsal false feet on the anterior segments, and two pairs on the ventral aspect. In _Asclera caerulea_ there are six dorsal and three ventral pairs of these remarkable pseudopods. We have six species of Oedemeridae in Britain, including _Asclera_ as well as _Nacerdes_. [Illustration: Fig. 138—_Asclera caerulea._ A, Larva; B, pupa (after Schiödte); C, imago. Cambridge.]