ARTHROPODA 195 



may be found on land and in the water. Some are herbivorous and 

 exceedingly injurious. The Dermestidae destroy stored grains. 

 The saw-toothed grain beetle {Cucujidae) is an extremely injurious 

 species. 



The buffalo-moth attacks wool, feathers and furs, while the 

 larder beetle destroys and spoils animal food products. The 

 Elateridae, or click-beetles, are interesting as adults, but their larvae, 

 called wire-worms, attack plants and seeds. Certain of the wood 

 borers {Buprestidae) are distinguished as the flat-headed borers. 



T\iQ fireflies or Latnpyridae are luminous insects flying at night. 

 Many non-luminous forms belong to the same family. The blade 

 horned beetles or LaiJiellicornia have antennae with their terminal 

 joints developed into leaflike plates forming a club. There are two 

 families, the Lucanidae or stag-beetles, and the Scarabaeidae. One of 

 the most familiar forms is the stag-beetle, with its long mandibles 

 or " antlers." Some males have well-developed mandibles and are 

 tailed " pinching bugs." The Scarabaeidae include the most of the 

 Lamellicorns. The leaf chafers feed on flowers and leaves. The 

 scavenger beetles bury or eat decaying matter. The sacred beetle 

 or Scarab, found in Egyptian tombs, is a species of dung-feeding 

 tumble bug. Egyptians worshipped the scarab because it killed 

 worms. Other forms notably injurious are the 'June bug and the 

 rose chafer. The larval June bug called the white grub or " molly 

 grub " is of considerable injury to underground roots, while the 

 adult form, injurious to foliage in a less degree, is a household 

 annoyance in the early summer. The "Japanese beetle {Popillia 

 japonica), a serious pest, was imported into New Jersey and Penn- 

 sylvania and has spread into adjoining states at the rate of about 

 twenty miles per year. The rhinoceros beetle is the largest American 

 species. In the West Indies related forms reach a length of six 

 inches. 



The plant eating beetles ( Phytophaga) include the pea and bean 

 weevils {Bruchidae), the leaf beetles {Chrysomelidae), and the long- 

 horned beetles {Cerambycidae). 



The Bruchidae larvae feed on the seeds of peas and beans and are 

 called bean-weevils. The most injurious Chrysomelids include the 

 elm-leaf beetle, and the Colorado potato beetle, which is one of the 

 largest of the Chrysomelids and an important enemy of the potato. 

 The Cerambycidae are long-horned beetles including many wood- 

 boring forms, such as the apple tree borers and the maple borers. 



