130 [Ju«. 



Abstracts of llcccnt 3itcraturf. 



Br HUGH SCOTT, AI.A., P.L.S., F.E.S. 



B^viNfi, A.. " A. Generic Synopsis of the Coccineli.id Larvae in 

 THE United States National Museum, with a Description of the 

 Larva of Ilyiteraspis hinotdta Say." Proc. TT.S. Nut. Mus., Vol. H, 

 pp. 621-650, pLs. 118-] 21, .January 1917. 



The external structure and mouth-parts of H. hinotnta are described and 

 figured in some detail, as representing the more primitive of the types found 

 among ladybird larvae. The mouth-parts exhibit remarkable morphological 

 modifications, which do not appear to have been put on record and which may 

 not occur outside Coccinellidae. The mouth-cavity is greatly enlarged, and, in 

 S. binotata at all events, is capable of holding an entire Lecanhim-VMxty., 

 the principal diet of the Hi/peraspis. Consequent on this enlargement of the 

 mouth the mandibles are very wide apart, and can only meet at their apices. 

 Their molar bases are so widely separated that they cannot work against one 

 another at all, but instead they work against a chitinons " hypopharymreal 

 bridge," which is peculiar to the family. Thus they grind the juices out of the 

 prey, these juices being retained in the mouth during the pi'ocess by the fleshy 

 lobes of the ventral mouth-parts. 



While Hypei-nspis represents the primitive type, the most highly developed 

 larvae are found in the Chilocorini. Between the two extremes are many inter- 

 mediate gradations. Psi/llobonni and EpilacJwini are both branches from the 

 main stem, with special biological adaptations. Both have specialised man- 

 dibles. Tlie herbivorous Epilachnini also have the hypopharyngeal bridge 

 reduced, and altogether diverge widest from the normal. 



Coccinellid larvae exhibit great variety of structure among themselves, 

 but ns a family they can only be confused with certain Clirysomelid larvae. 

 Excepting, however, the aberrant Epilachnini, all others can be distinguished 

 from Chrysomelidae by the sickle-shaped mandibles (broad in Chrysomelidae) 

 and hypopharyngeal bridge (not developed in Chrysomelidae). All Coccinellid 

 larvae examined by Bt^ving have 3 ocelli, whereas in Chrysomelidae the number 

 varies from to 6. 



Buying differentiates 9 groups : primarily by (i.) location of thoracic 

 spiracles, (ii.) arrangement of the pleural areas of meso- and metathorax, 

 (iii.) nature of the tubercles, plates, spines, etc. ; and secondarily, by (i.) degree 

 of development of the hypopharyngeal bridge, (ii.) form of the apex and 

 retinaculum of the mandible. This classification, based on study of the larvae, 

 corroborates, in all but a few minor points, the classification based on study 

 of the adults proposed by Casey in 1898. The bibliography of B^ving's 

 paper occupies nearly 10 pages. 



