496 BULLETIN 63, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



color. In November (20tli, 1S7T) he noticed the first hirvse; none 

 appeared after December. 



Mr. Gissler describes the hirva of Eleodes gigantea and dentipes as 

 follows : 



Larva {Eleodes gigantea). — Head convex above, gular region con- 

 cave; all the mouth parts like Tenehrio; antenna? differing by the 

 stouter second and third joints. r3'gidium with 18 lateral spines, 

 terminal obtuse tip, sparsely frimbriate. Color of small specimens 

 (6 mm.) entirely white. 



No trace of ocelli or even dark spots on the ophthalmic region. 

 The small larva^ have the abdominal segments nearly all flat and 

 gradually after several exuviations acquiring the typical Avire-shape 

 and darker color. Tiie legs, thoracic and abdominal segments as in 

 Tenehrio. 



Larva {Eleodes dentipes). — Pygiclium with but ten spines, the two 

 terminal are slightly longer and run parallel over the tip. The front 

 legs also differ from those in the larva of gigantea,' the head, mouth 

 parts, antenna^, middle and posterior legs are as in the latter species. 

 A larva but a few hours old (Plate 13, fig. 15) has two small blunt 

 terminal spines, at the sides of which are two stout, long bristles; 

 there are no lateral spines. The latter appear after the first moult. 

 Length, 2-5 nnn. Mr. Gissler also writes that a number of Eleodes 

 dentipes began to deposit their eggs m April, and the larva? grew to 

 80 and 35 mm. 



The above descriptions are very unsatisfactory and give no clear 

 nor complete idea of the structural characters of these larva\ 



Mr. Gissler kept his larvie in a breeding jar with earth and decayed 

 Avood. 



I have kept in captivity the several species of Eleodes found about 

 San Francisco and succeeded in ol)taining the eggs of several species. 

 In general form and color they were all alike, milky white and oval 

 in form, differing only in size and this in a few fractions of a milli- 

 meter; the majority were about a millimeter in length. I examined 

 them carefully uimIci- high magnifying power, but tlie enveloping 

 tunic was alike in all, no sculpturing. The following were exam- 

 ined: Eggs of dentipes.^ q(/(fdricolh's, cordata, parricollis, and 

 scahrosa. 



I succeeded in obtaining larva' from only one species and that was 

 dentipes,' they perished during the excitement following the San 

 Francisco disaster. The lar\;e had reached the length of 0.5 and 10 

 mm. T discovered thcni in July and I did not know how long they 

 had been dead. I iiad not discovered them before Ai)ril 18. 



Between these larvae and those mentioned by Mr. Gissler I find 

 very little resemblance. This pi-obably depends ujjon a different 

 age of the larva?. My study and dissections were made upon two 



