FIELD BOOK OF INSECTS. 



which fits into a cavity in the mesosternum. They differ 

 from the Elateridas in having the pro- and meso-sterna 

 firmly joined, and so without the power of leaping possessed 

 by most click beetles. From the Buprestidas they are 

 distinguished by having the ventral abdominal segments 

 all free" (Blatchley). They are usually found on dead 

 wood or on flowers, and are inconspicuous as well as 

 small. 



BUPRESTID^E 



These are usually elongate, usually stout (but some- 

 times cylindrical) beetles, with broad thorax, and elytra 

 tapering back from the shoulders; the prothorax closely 

 united to the mesothorax. A large proportion of them 

 are bronzed or metallic in color or reflection, and others 

 are gaudily marked with red or yellow bands or spots. 

 Many of them have the upper surface deeply grooved or 

 pitted, and, altogether, they are very characteristic in 

 appearance. Most of them are very active and fly readily. 

 Square-heads is a local name for them, coined in recog- 

 nition of their broad, flat, square-cut front. 



The larvas are wood-borers, usually living under bark 

 and making broad, rather shallow furrows, galleries, or 

 chambers. In shape they are very much elongated, some- 

 what flattened, the body segments well defined, head small, 

 the anterior segments much enlarged so as, apparently, to 

 form part of the head, giving rise to the common names 

 Hammer-head or Flat-head borers. Adults are fond of 

 basking in the sunshine, usually on their own food-plant, 

 and may best be collected by holding an umbrella under 

 branches and then jarring them. Since a taxonomic 

 key involves numerous technicalities, the species to be 

 mentioned will be grouped by their principal food-plants. 



Orchard Trees 



This (Plate LXXVIII) is called the 

 Flat - headcd Apple-tree Borer, the name 

 referring to the larva, which, however, 

 attacks numerous other trees such as pear, plum, cherry, 

 peach, oak, sycamore, chestnut, hickory, maple, horse- 



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