LAMELLICORX-BEETLES. 79 



body so much curved that they can only crawl about with great 

 difficulty if placed upon the surface of the soil. They possess 

 large horny beads, and long, sprawling legs. The posterior seg- 

 ment of the abdomen is in many species thicker than the re- 

 mainder, and appears dark, being filled with a large amount of 

 dirt and other waste matter. In their burrows such larvae can, 

 however, move quite rapidly; they do so by lying on their backs, 

 which are usually protected by a cushion of short hairs ; their legs 

 are mainly used to grasp the food overhead. 



Many groups of these beetles are familiar, some of them 

 well known bythe common name of "May-beetles," "Dor-beetles," 

 "June-bugs," "Rose-beetles," "Goldsmith-beetles," "Rhinoceros- 

 beetles," "Flower-beetles," and others. Only those that are in- 

 jurious to the fruit-grower, or are otherwise of special interest, 

 will be described more in detail. 



We have in Minnesota a number of small lamellicorn beetles 

 that are sometimes destructive to the flowers of fruit-producing 

 plants. They are not numerous enough to cause marked injury, 

 at least not unless many of them are at work on the same tree or 

 cane. They belong to two genera: Hoplia, and Dichelonycha, 

 The former are robust, oval insects, injurious to apples and plums, 

 of which they destroy the entire flowers. Hoplia modesta Hald, 

 an oval shaped, brown beetle, with a metallic white pubescene 

 upon the pointed and projecting posterior segments of the ab- 

 domen, and with long legs, well adapted to anchor it in flowers, 

 is the most common one of such small enemies. It measures about 

 one-quarter of an inch in length, and is shown in Fig. 87, Plate I. 



Dichelonycha elongata Fab., and D. subvittata Lee, also pos- 

 sess a similar bad habit. Both beetles resemble each other in 

 general appearance, but instead of being oval in shape they arc 

 quite elongated, measuring almost half an inch in length. Their 

 general color is also brown, but they possess in addition a de- 

 cidedly metallic lustre, varying from all shades of dark blue to 

 bluish-green or green. In case of necessity these beetles should 

 be gathered and killed. This is easily done upon low plants, 

 where they can readily be seen, but it is almost impossible when 



