314 The Life History of'' Wireworms" 



iraaginal eye, which early shows through the integument; they are long 

 and tapering and terminate in a fine brown bristle. The suture between 

 head and prothorax extends from the base of each antenna over the 

 eyes of the adult and is continued ventrally in a semicircle above the 

 vertex of the head. 



The prothorax is longer than broad, rounded at the sides, swollen, 

 slightly striated transversely. As in the adult, it is deeper anteriorly 

 and has on the dorsal surface a slight median groove which is deepened 

 posteriorly. The antennae reach to the intermediate pair of legs at the 

 point where the femora are flexed against the tibiae. Their segments are 

 longer than broad, enlarged towards the apex of each segment, except 

 the last, and bear blunt tubercles on either side. The posterior angles 

 of the prothorax are produced into long outstanding spines, fleshy at 

 the base and continued in fine curved brown setae arising from the outer 

 side of the fleshy base. The median spines, situated in many Elaterid 

 pupae one on either side of the medio-dorsal groove, are entirely absent, 

 even the tubercles, visible in A. obscurus, being lacking. 



Elytral sheaths just reaching to the 5th abdominal sternite, bearing 

 at their apices a small upturned blunt hook. The first abdominal spiracle 

 is concealed beneath the base of the wing-sheath. 



Both tergites and sternites of each abdominal segment from the 2nd 

 to the 6th are somewhat sinuate laterally and are produced at their 

 posterior margins into a kind of flange. In life this prolongation of 

 tergites and sternites serves to conceal the spiracles, which are situated in 

 the pleura of each segment. The tergites and sternites of the 7th and 8th 

 segments are scarcely produced laterally and leave the spiracles exposed. 



Ventrally, the 7th abdominal sternite is longer than the others and 

 almost paraboloid in shape, though it has in the male pupa, at least, a 

 shght angle at the point where it overlaps the 8th sternite. 



The sexual differences are manifest on the ventral surface of the 9th 

 segment as in A. obscurus. 



The terminal processes arise laterally and project from the body at an 

 angle of some 45°. The basal portion of each is cream-coloured and fleshy, 

 the apical brown and produced into a spine. The spines are neither so 

 long nor so sharply pointed as are those of the prothorax. 



AGRI0TE8 SOBRINUS, Kies. = ACUMINATUS, Steph. 



Of this species very little is known. Ova were obtained in 1918 from 

 the soil of a pot within which the beetles had been confined and a few 

 larvae were obtained from these ova. But the eggs laid in the pot appear 



