AN ILLUSTRATED SYNOPSIS OF THE 



PRINCIPAL LARVAL FORMS OF 



THE ORDER COLEOPTERA* 



By Adam G. Boving, 

 senior entomologist, u. s. bureau of entomology 



AND 



F. C. Craighead, 



IN CHARGE OP FOREST INSECT INVESTIGATIONS, U. S. BUREAU OF 

 ENTOMOLOGY 



* This study was projected about 1915 when both authors who 

 were working independently on separate families of coleopterous 

 larvae realized that it was practically impossible to go far in de- 

 scriptive work within these families without having a comparative 

 knowledge of the characters throughout the order. During the fol- 

 lowing five years the material of all the families represented in the 

 collections of the Bureau of Entomology and of the United States 

 National Museum was examined, family characterizations were pre- 

 pared, and typical larval characters were illustrated. By 1920 a 

 general scheme of the classification presented herewith was drawn 

 up, including the keys to families and family series, and most of 

 the plates were completed. Since 1923 one of the authors (Craig- 

 head) has been able to devote very little time to the work; the other 

 author (Boving) has continued to give much time to it, has remod- 

 eled many of the keys, and has introduced those portions treating 

 the subfamilies and lesser groups. 



