622 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 51. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FULL-GROWN LARVA OF HYPERASPIS 

 BINOTATA SAY. 



The full-grown larva is about five millimeters long; oval in outline, 

 strongly arched above, with flattened underside (figs. 1, 2, 3). The 

 head is bent downwards; its posterior edge is covered by the fleshy 

 anterior margin of the pro thorax; the color is fight greenish gray with 

 the more strongly chitinized parts shiny dark brown, and with a dark 

 brown pattern (as shown in figs. 8, 9, 10) ; it is rectangular, very broad, 

 with an unusual capacious mouth cavity (fig. 7), capable of contain- 

 ing an entire larva of the Lecanium, which constitutes its principal 

 prey. This increase of the mouth has been effected by the enlarge- 

 ment of the labrum and the labium and by the incorporation of the 

 dorsal side of the maxillary stipes into the wall of the mouth (std. II, 

 fig. 7) ; the labrum (fig. 1 and Ir, figs. 8 and 9) is nearly perpendicular, 

 covering and protecting the approximately horizontal mandibles 

 (md, figs. 8 and 9) and the fleshy lobes of the ventral mouth parts (la, 

 li, figs. 8 and 9). Due to the enlargement of the mouth cavity, the 

 mandibles are so displaced (fig. 7) that they can only meet each other 

 with their very pointed apex (apx, fig. 6), while the convex, broad 

 and flattened molarhke bases (mo, fig. 6) are widely separated; these 

 molarhke bases can, for that reason, not work against each other, but 

 they work in the corner of the mouth against the concave end surfaces 

 of a hypopharyngeal bridge peculiar to this family (br, figs. 7, 9), 

 grinding and squeezing the juices out of the prey; the fleshy lobes of 

 the ventral mouth parts close the mouth and retain the juice during 

 mastication until it can be sucked in and swallowed by the movements 

 of the pharynx (ph., figs. 4, 7). These remarkable morphological 

 modifications of the mouth parts have not been recorded before and 

 are probably not found outside the family Coccinellidae. There are 

 three large oceUi (fig. 1, oc, fig. 8) on each side; the antennae are three- 

 jointed with a tactile filament (fil, fig. 8) at the apex of the second 

 joint; the maxillary palpi are normal, three-jointed, with the usual 

 sensory papiUae on the terminal joint; labial palpi minute and two- 

 jointed (fig. 8). 



The subglobose shape of the body, with the flat ventral side pressed 

 against the supporting surface is similar to that of most of the coleop- 

 terous larvae, which live on leaves and twigs, and is well adapted to 

 these surroundings; the color is pale, yellowish gray, somewhat lighter 

 underneath and with small, brown, chitinous spots indicating muscle 

 attachments (ms, fig. 1); the body is pubescent, bears well-developed 

 setae, especially on the dorsal and lateral areas, and has numerous 

 small pores in the skin on aU segments (por, fig. 5); but all these 

 characters are not apparent on the living larva because it is covered 

 by tufts of long, pure white, waxy threads, which are exuded from 



