268 



COLEOPTERA 



CHAP. 



life-histories appear to be singularly varied : hut unfortunately 

 they are incompletely known. The larvae of some of the 

 Mordellids have been found in the stems of plants, and 

 derive their nutriment therefrom. This is said by Schwarz 

 to be undoubtedly the case with Moi'flcUistcna floridensis. 

 Coquillett has found the larvae of J/ i>nx1iill. in plant-stems 

 under circumstances that render it highly probable that they 

 were feeding on a Lepidopterous larva contained in the stems ; 

 and Osborn found a similar larva that was pretty certainly a 

 Mordellist$na, and fed voraciously on Dipterous larvae in the 

 steins of a plant. The little that is known as to the meta- 



FIG. IW.Mordelli- 



stenn tJi'i'iilensis. 

 America. (After 

 Pdley.) A, Larva ; 

 B. pupa ; C, imago ; 

 D, outline of de- 

 tached head of im- 

 ago of M. fin in iln, 

 to show the ueck. 



morphoses of Mordclla and Anuspis shows that they live in old 

 wood, but does not make clear the nature of their food. 



Although it has been ascertained that the Ehipiphorides 

 exhibit instances of remarkable metamorphosis, their life- 

 histories are still very imperfectly known. Dr. Chapman has 

 ascertained some particulars as to Metoecus paradoxns, which has 

 long been known to prey in the larval state on the larvae of the 

 common social wasps. 1 The eggs are apparently not deposited in 

 the nests of the wasps, but in old wood. The young larva is a 

 triungulin, similar to that of the Cantharidae, we shall sub- 

 sequently describe. It is not known how it makes its way to 

 the was] is' nests, but it is possible that when a wasp visits some 

 old wood haunted by these larvae, some of them may attach 

 themselves to it and be carried to the wasps' nests. When 



1 Ann. Nat. Jlisf. (4) vi. 1870, p. 314 ; and Ent. Mu<j. xxvii. 1891, p. 18. 



