LARVAL FORMS OF COLEOPTERA 



OmaUine association: 



19. Maxillary mala fanglike, smooth, and as long as entire head. 



(Three or six ocelli on each side). 



Sta'phylinidae-Proteininae {Proteinus 

 ^x\d MegarthusY^ (pi. 16 J-M) 

 Maxillary mala shorter, with hairs. (Fonr to six ocelli on each 

 side) 20 



20. Mandible apically entire. Lacinia with or without pectinate 



inner edge; (ocelli six or less on each side). 



Staphylinidae-Omaliinae (Anthohium, 

 Omalium, Olophrum, and other 

 genera) (pi. 17 B, D, F, G) 

 Mandible bifid. Lacinia with pectinate edge; (ocelli six) 21 



21. Body biconvex ; head nutant, laterally rounded ; mala subtrape- 

 zoiclal Staphylinidae-Tackyporinae (pi. 15 C, 



E, I-K) 



charinae. In the Aleocharinae, the ' ' part two ' ' characterized by the 

 presence of a simple, conical ligula is easily set off, thus causing no 

 difficulties, but ' ' part one ' ' with a broad and rounded ligula isomor- 

 phous with the one found in the Oxytelinae is not separable from 

 the latter subfamily by a single definite character as a comparison 

 between the alternatives given in section 17 will show. However, 

 in the general appearance of the larvae of the two subfamilies there 

 is a lack of conformity that warns against any digression from the 

 commonly accepted classification. In many aleocharine larvae, cer- 

 tain characteristic changes or radical adaptations to special biolog- 

 ical conditions such as a fungicolous, myrmecophilous, termitophi- 

 lous, or endoparasitic life make the determination to subfamily or 

 even to series extremely difficult or impossible. The urogomphi, for 

 instance, have disappeared in the myrmecophilous larvae of Lome- 

 ch usa, Xenodnsa, and Atemeles ; and in Aleochara hilineata Gyl- 

 lenhal only the first instar is built normally and is free living, but 

 having found and gnawed its way into the puparium of a fly it 

 changes into a very reduced endoparasitic second instar which is 

 followed by a similarly reduced endoparasitic third instar. Other 

 species of Aleochara, and Maseochara valida LeConte are also known 

 to have endoparasitic larval instars in the puparia of flies or cocoons 

 of sawflies. ( See : N. A. Kemner : ' ' Die Lebensweise und die para- 

 sitische Entwickelung der echten Aleochariden, " Entom. Tidskrift, 

 1929, pp. 133-170, four plates.) 



^® The classification of the Proteininae as a subfamily is ques- 

 tionable. It is characterized by the extraordinary development of 

 the mala, but is closely approached in this and other characters by 

 genera such as Lafhrimaeum belonging to the Omaliinae. (See im- 

 portant paper by N. A. Kemner concerning the larvae of the Pro- 

 teininae; Entom. Tidsskrift, 1925, pp. 61-76, two plates.) 



29 



