Sphæridiidæ (sferidiide)

pl. [NL., Sphæridiinæ (sfe-rid-i-i'nē), n. pl. [NL. (Le Conte, 1883, as Sphæridiini ), convex, or hemispherical beetles which live in the excrement of herbivorous mammals. They are usually black in color, with the elytra frequently spotted or margined with yellow. They are divided into six genera, of which five are represented in the United States. See Sphæri dium, 2. sphæridium (sfē-rid'i-um), n. [NL., In some genera, these sphæridia , to which Lovén ascribes a sensory function (probably auditory), are sunk in fo æ of the plate to which they are attached. Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 490. 2. [ cap.] [NL. (Fabric i us, 1795).] The typical genus of the Sphæridiinæ, comprising mainly African species distinguished by the elongate sphæridium scutellum and the visible pygidium. S. scar a bæoides is an example. Sphæriidæ (sfē-rī'i-dē), n. pl. [NL., sphæristerium (sfē-ris-tē'ri-um), n.; pl. sphæristeria (-a). [ sphærite (sfēʼrīt), n. [ Sphærium (sfē'ri-um), n. [NL. (Scopoli, 1777), like fresh-water shells.