362 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Fltitcher in 18S7 includes this species and M. scutellatus Say as the 

 two insects which probal^ly commit the most serious ravai^es in Canada on 

 felled pine timber or on standing pine trees after the)' have been injured 

 by hre. 



Description. I he egg has been described by I)r Packard as follows: 

 " Ovo-c\ lintlrical, well roimded. l)ut taptn'ing somewhat at each end, of a 

 dirty white color" and as about ' i, inch long. 



The grub is a white, fleshy, cylindric larva, which when full grown may 

 attain a length of from iH to 2 inches. The mandibles are a very dark 

 brown and the head varies in color from amber to rather dark brown, the 

 deeper color occurring at the sutures. The thoracic shield is somewhat 

 chitinized and bears a transverse, irregular, dark brown marking. This 

 larva may be readily distinguished from that of Rhagium, which frrquenth' 

 occurs under similar conditions, by tlie entire absence of legs and by the 

 head not being nearly so wide and flattened. 



The adult insect is a magnificent grayish beetle, finely mottled with 

 light brown and rather conspicuously dotted, sijecialh' on the wing covers, 

 with dark brown or nearly black. The body length of the beetle varies 

 from about 5,4 to i Vi inches. The insect is remarkable for its enormous 

 antennae, which may measure from 2 to 3 or more inches in length [pi. 63, 



fig- i1- 



Life history. The beetles are found in the vicinity of .Vlbany from the 



latter part (jf June through [uly and into August antl Dr bletcher mentions 



taking an adult in September. This latter date is late for New York State. 



The beetles by preference frequent dying or dead trees and occasionally 



are found in considerable numbers. 



The eggs of this species are deposited in conspicuous transverse gashes 



in the bark which are made by the female with her jaws. Dr Packard is 



of the (jpinion that the beetle prys up a jwrtion of the gash and inserts the 



Gg,g '■'' the opening thus formed. The eggs are said to hatch in from two 



to three days after deposition and the young grubs at once begin boring in 



the inner bark. The earlier work of the larva or Lrrub is confined almost 



