Beetles 



273 



The genus Lucanus contains four North American species, three of which 

 are famihar. L. elaphus (Fig. 374), the giant stag-beetle, of the southern 

 states, varies from ij to 2 inches in length, not including the mandibles, 

 which in the male are i inch long and branched; L. dama, the common 

 pinching-bug of the East, rich mahogany-brown in color, from i inch to 

 1^ inches long, "flies by night with a loud 

 buzzy sound and is often attracted to lights 

 in houses," and has a white grub larva 

 looking like the white grub of the June-bug, 

 but found in partially decayed trunks and 

 roots of apple-, cherry-, willow-, and oak- 

 trees instead of in the ground; L. placidns, 

 not quite an inch long, and black, is a third 

 common species. The antelope-beetle, 

 Dorcus paralleliis, is less than an inch long, 

 black, and with longitudinal grooves on the 

 elytra. Platycerciis qiienus, | inch long, 

 brownish black, is widely distributed. 

 Ceriichus piceits, J inch long and dark brown, 

 is occasionally common in rotten w-ood. 

 The horned Passalus, P. corniitus, large 

 and shining black, has a short horn bent 

 forward on top of its head. 



The great family Scarabieidas, com- 

 prising over five hundred species of North 

 American beetles, includes some of our 

 so many common, conspicuous, and interesting Scaraba?id beetles are to be 

 found by any collector, or ob.served by any amateur naturalist, that the two 

 or three pages of this book which can be devoted to them are confessedly 

 miserably inadequate to help any one. The characteristic club of the 

 antenna; and heavy robust June-bug type of body make most of the members 

 of this family readily recognizable. In practically all, too, the anterior 

 tibicB are broad and flattened and fitted for digging. Depending on their 

 habits, the Scaraba;ids are readily divided into two principal groups, the 

 scavengers, of which the tumble-bugs, dung-beetles, etc., are e.xamples, 

 and the leaf-chafers, of which the June-bugs, rose-bugs, rhinoceros-beetles, 

 fig-eaters, and flower-beetles are e.xamples. Some entomologists divide 

 the ScarabEeids into several distinct families, but n.ost do not. The scavenger 

 Scarabaeids are beneficial to man by their eating or burying of decaying 

 matter, but the leaf-chafers are harmful, some of them being serious pests. 

 The Scaraba^id larvae (Fig. 376) are thick, soft-bodied, whitish, six-footed 

 grubs, which usually lie curved and often on one side. They are found 



Fig. 374. — Stage-beetle, Lucnnus 

 elaphus male. (Natural size.) 



most familiar kinds. Indeed 



