LUCANUS

(Yunanca köken — orijinale bakınız.) A Linnaean genus of Coleop tera, forming the type of a tribe of Lamellicorn beetles (Lucanina), in the system of Latreille, by whom it is thu« characterized: Antennae composed of ten joints, the first of which is usually much the longest; the attennal club has its leaflets or teeth arranged perpendicularly to its axis, in the manner of a comb. The mandibles are always corneous, and most commonly exhibit a sexual superiority of dev elopement and peculiarity of form in the males. The maxilla; are generally terminated by a narrow, elongated, and silky lobe; but sometimes are entirely corneous and dentated. The ligula in most of the Lucanincs is formed of two small silky pencils, projecting more or le beyond an almost semicircular or square mentum. The anterior legs in the greater number are elongated, and their tibia; dentated along the whole of their outer side. The tarsi terminate in two equal and simple hooks, with a little appendage with two seta; between them. The elytra cove i the whole of the upper part of the abdomen. The insects thus characterized were first divided by the immediate succe ors of Lin me us into two genera, Lucanus proper and Pa alus, both of which are now elevated to the rank of families, and subdivided into numerous subgenera. See Lucanid* and Pa alidje. [s. 704]