Brach elytra

[Gr. brachys, short, elytron, elytra.] ( Zool.) A family of insects belonging to the order Cole opter a, and synonymous with Staphylinid a. The species are characterized by their having short elytra or wing cases, though the wings themselves are very long, and when at rest easily folded up. They run and fly with equal agility, though they do not often use their wings. Most of the species have the habit of bending up the abdomen while running, and some bend it up so completely on the back that they present quite a globular form. At the lower extremity of the abdomen are two conical vesicles capable of being protruded at will, and from which a vapor is emitted, which occasionally is very subtle and penetrating. In some of the species the smell is that of spices mixed with something indescribably fetid. They are very voracious, generally preying upon dead bodies and decaying vegetable matter, such as fungi, . Some, however, are only found in flowers, on the margins of running streams, or under the bark of decaying trees. Others again are found parasitic in the nests of the hornet, and a few live in society along with the red ant ( Formica rufa ). Brachial, ( bra'ke -al,) a. Lat. brachium, the arm.] Belonging to the arm; as, the brachial nerve. -Resembling an arm. (Anat.) B. artery , extends from the axilla to the bend of the elbow, where it divides into A. cubital is , and A. radial is. It pa es along the internal edge of the biceps, behind the median nerve and between the accompanying veins. - B. muscle anterior , situate at the anterior and inferior part of the arm, and before the elbow-joint. It arises, fleshy, from the middle of the os humeri, and is inserted into the coronoid proce of the ulna. Its use is to bend the fore-arm. - B. plexus , is a nervous plexus, formed by the interlacing of the anterior branches of the last four cervical pairs and the first dorsal. B. veins, are two in number, and accompany the artery, frequently anastomosing with each other; they terminate in the axillary. Bra'chiate, a . ( Bot . ) With opposite branches; the succe ive pairs spreading at right angles with each other. Brach in'ides, n . pl . [Gr. brachys , short.] ( Zool .) A sub-family of coleopterous insects belonging to the family Carabidae . This group, as at present constituted, is one of the most incongruous of all the tribes of the Carabid a. The typical genus is Brach in us , the bombardier-beetle, many species of which have been described. They live under stones, and are found in most parts of the globe. - See BOMBARDIER-BEETLE.