COLEOPTERA 



521 



fore coxse are conical and prominent. More than one hundred species 



occur in this country. 



The hermit flower-beetle, Os- 



moderma eremicola. — This is one 



of the larger of our flower-beetles 



(Fig. 628). It is of a deep mahog- 

 any-brown color, nearly smooth, 



and highly polished. It is 



supposed that the larva lives on 



decaying wood in forest-trees. 

 The rough flower-beetle, Os- 



moderma scdbra, is closely allied 



to the preceding. It is not quite 



as large, measuring about 25 mm. 



in length. It is purplish black, 



and the wing-covers are rough- 

 ened with irregular, coarsely 



punctured striae. It is nocturnal, 



concealing itself during the day in 



the crevices and hollows of trees. 



The larva lives in the decaying 



wood of apple and cherry, con- 

 suming the wood and inducing 



more rapid decay. 



The genus Euphoria repre- 

 sents well the form of the more 



typical flower-beetles, which are 



distinguished by the margin of 



each wing-cover having a large, 



wavy indentation near its base, 

 which renders 

 the side pieces 

 of the meso- 

 thorax visible 

 from above. 

 This indenta- 

 tion makes it 

 unnecessary 



for these insects to raise or expand their wing- 

 covers when flying, as most beetles do, as they 

 are able to pass the wings out from the sides. 

 The bumble flower-beetle. Euphoria mda. — 

 The most common of our flower-beetles, at least 

 in the North, is a yellowish brown one, with the 

 wing-covers sprinkled all over with small, irregular- 

 black spots (Fig. 629) . It is one of the first insects 

 to appear in the spring. It flies near the surface ot 



the ground with a loud humming sound, like that of a bumble-bee, for 



which it is often mistaken. During the summer months it is not seen ; 



Fig. 627. — The sugar-cane beetle. 



Fig. 628. 



