February, '19] 



HAYES: LACHNOSTERNA LANCEOLATA 



111 



Table I — Showing Length of the Egg Stage 



Year 



1916 

 1917 

 1918 



No. to 

 Hatch 



630 



93 



813 



Maximum Length Minimum Length 



of Stage, Days of Stage, Days 



19 10 



29 10 



22 9 



Average Length 

 of Stage, Days 



14.1 



17.1 



16.4 



General average 



16.0 



Oviposition begins the latter part of June and extends into the first 

 weeks of August. The earliest eggs laid under artificial conditions 

 were found in cages June 25 and the last eggs August 9. The exact 

 number of eggs laid by single individuals has not been determined. 

 One isolated female laid nine eggs and another laid fifteen. This 

 number is undoubtedly below the average. A few days before hatch- 

 ing the young larva can be seen through the shell of the egg. 



Larva. — The newly hatched larva is about 2 or 3 mm. long, pure 

 white in color, with a white head which rapidly turns to a light brown- 

 ish color. Soon after feeding begins, a black meconium appears at the 

 posterior end of the alimentary tract. These grubs grow much slower 

 than other two-year grubs of the genus Lachnosterna and at the end of 

 the first growing season are much smaller. There is this difference, 

 however: the lanceolata grubs pupate in the spring and must live 

 through two winters, whereas other so-called two-year grubs pupate 

 in the fall after having passed through only one winter. 



When full grown the grubs shed the meconium of the alimentary 

 tract and pass through a quiescent or semi-pupal stage. Almost two 

 full years are required for the grubs to reach maturity. Table II 

 shows the length of the larval and semi-pupal stages as worked out at 

 Manhattan, Kansas. 



The maximum length of the larval stage, as shown by Table II, was 

 22 months and 15 days, and the minimum was 22 months and 3 days. 

 The semi-pupal stage varied from 5 to 11 days. 



The first larvae begin hatching during the first and second weeks of 

 July and continue until the latter part of August. The earliest egg to 

 hatch in life-history cages was July S, and the last August 28. 



