l8 CHARLES T. BRUES. 



Like all larvae of similar habits they are of uniform white or 

 butt color, except for the pigmentation of certain parts and appen- 



_es of the head. One could scarcely find any series of insect 

 larva? of more uniform appearance, yet we find that the structural 

 and color characteristics of the adults of this enormous family 

 are remarkably diverse and striking. In connection with their 

 general work on beetle larvae, Ferris and Schipdte have examined 

 some representative longicorn larvae, but quite recently, two 

 American entomologists, Webb ('12) and Craighead ('15) have 

 attempted to classify these larvae on structural characters. 

 Although they have been restricted to a small number of details, 

 mainly confined to the head, it appears that most of the genera 

 may be distinguished more or less satisfactorily. The subfamilies 

 (or families as they are called by Webb) appear also to be easily 

 recognizable in the larva?. If this proves still to be true as the 

 larva? of more genera and species are made known, it will be of 

 particular interest, since s'uch divisions are difficult on the basis 

 of the imagines. We have seen that in most groups of insects the 

 larvae are generally less useful for the delimitation of larger 

 groups than the adults. 



Mention has already been made of hypermetamorphosis, and 

 its occurrence in certain beetles noted. A closer examination of 

 the larval stages of the Meloidae shows, however, such a series of 

 very evidently adaptive forms, that I cannot refrain from con- 

 sidering these somewhat in detail. The preparatory stages of 

 various Meloids live upon the egg masses of certain locusts and 

 within the larval cells of solitary bees, and several very distinct 

 larval types succeed one another in the course of development. 

 The parent beetle does not deposit her eggs directly in the ma- 

 terials which the larvae is destined to devour, and the newly 

 hatched Meloid larva is a tiny, active, long-lived creature that 

 goes in search of its proper environment either by seeking out 

 the locust eggs, or by attaching itself to the bee and thus beini; 

 carried to its food. The triungulin is thus well-fitted to fulfill 

 its mission and so far as its structure is concerned, pre-ents noth- 

 ing unexpected, for it is of the typical campodeiform type, 

 widely distributed among insects. In the case ot Epicauta, 

 parasitic on locust eggs, shortly after reaching its food-supply, 



