268 



COLEOPTERA 



life-histories appear to be singularly varied ; but unfortunately 

 they are incompletely known. The larvae of some of the 

 Mordellids have been found in the stems of plants, and 

 derive their nutriment therefrom. This is said l)y Schwar/ 

 to be undoubtedly the case with Mordellistena Jioridcnsis. 

 Coquillett has found the larvae of M. piistulata in plant -stems 

 under circumstances that render it highly probable that they 

 were feeding on a Lepidopterous larva contained in the stems ; 

 and Osborn found a similar larva tliat was pretty certainly a 

 Mordellistena, and fed voraciously on Dipterous larvae in tlie 

 stems of a plant. The little that is known as to the meta- 



Fre. U^. — MordelH- 

 steno. fioridensis. 

 America. (After 

 Riley.) A, Larva ; 

 B. i)iipa ; C, imago ; 

 D. outline of de- 

 tached head of im- 

 ago of M. piimila, 

 to .show the neck. 



morphoses of Mordclla and Anaspls sliows that they live in old 

 wood, but does not make clear the nature of their food. 



Although it has been ascertained that the Eliipiphorides 

 exliibit instances of remarkable metamorphosis, their life- 

 histories are still very imperfectly known. Dr. Chapman has 

 ascertained some particulars as to Metoecus jparadoxus, which has 

 long been known to prey in the larval state on the larvae of the. 

 common social wasps.^ The eggs are apparently not deposited in 

 the nests of the wasps, but in old wood. The young larva is a 

 triungulin, similar to that of the Cantharidae, we shall sub- 

 sequently describe. It is not known how it makes its way to 

 the w^asps' nests, but it is possible that when a wasp visits some 

 old wood haunted by these larvae, some of them may attach 

 themselves to it and l^e carried to the wasps' nests. When 



^ Ann. Xaf. Hist. (4) vi. 1870, p. 014 ; and K;iL M"ff. xxvii. 1891, p. 18. 



