STUDIES ON THE LARVAE OF NORTH AMERICAN 

 BEETLES OF THE SUBFAMILY TENEBRIONINAE 

 WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE LARVA AND PUPA OF 

 MERINUS LAEVIS (OLIVIER). 



By R. A. St. George, 

 Of the Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The present paper gives a revised systematic characterization of 

 the larvae of the subfamily Tenebrioninae ; discusses a suggested close 

 relationship between the larvae of this subfamily and those of the 

 Blaptinae ; it enumerates and gives a detailed account of the larvae of 

 the genera of Tenebrioninae which are present in the National Collec- 

 tion, it further discusses LeConte's old genus Neatus, and gives a 

 generic key. In conclusion it has a general morphological descrip- 

 tion of the hitherto undescribed larva and pupa of Mei'inus laevis. 

 (Olivier). 



Family TENEBRIONIDAE. 



The larvae of the family Tenebrionidae were characterized by 

 Schiodte, 1879.^ 



The characterization is still applicable, and comparatively few 

 additions and changes in the original diagnosis are needed in spite of 

 the great number of new larval types described since Schiodte's work 

 was published. 



The following family diagnosis is therefore to be considered as a 

 mere translation of his Latin text with some of the original descrip- 

 tive terms modified to suit the modern nomenclature and with a few 

 new characters added and other slightly changed.^ 



FAMILY CHARACTERIZATION. 



Tarsus and claw fused into a single, unguliform article. Legs 

 short, fitted for digging and walking; coxae conical, inclinate, 

 prothoracic coxae (normally) approximately contiguous. Head 



1 De metamoiphosi Eleutheratonim Observationes Tenebriones Naturhist. Tidsskr., 

 ser. 3, vol. 10, pp. 479-598, pis. 5-12. 



* Insertions into the original text are inclosed by parenthesis. 



No. 2514 — Proceedings U. S National Museum, Vol. 65, Art. I. 



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