114 



Marvels of Insect Life, 



Plioio by] [E. Step, F.L.S. 



ASCALAPHUS. 

 The early stages of this Insect are similar to those of the ant- 

 lion ; but finally it has a furry body, long, clubbed antenna? 

 like those of a butterfly, and its netted wuigs arc blotched with 

 black and pale yellow. 



only, when it casts its skin for the third 

 time and now quite alters its form. It 

 has become much like the grub of one of 

 the dung-beetles, but its eyes have now 

 disappeared altogether. It concerns itself 

 no more with feeding, but makes its way 

 out of the bee's nest, and descends to the 

 ground. Here it excavates a small cavity, 

 and at the end of five davs its skin has 

 become hardened much after the manner 

 of a fly's grub when it is about to change 

 into the chrysalis ; but the case of the 

 blister-beetle's grub differs from the 

 puparium of the fly in the fact that it has 

 four Httle protuberances on the part that was the head, and its feet have been 

 transformed into six little warts. It is yellowish-white in colour and exudes a 

 clear fluid. 



But there is as yet no change into the chrvsalis stage as in the case of the flv. 

 The grub has merely cast its skin again, but this time without breaking it, and it 

 remains in this shelter all throagh the winter. In spring it breaks open the hard 

 case and walks out, in general appearance much like it was when it went into the 

 ground ; but its mouth-parts have become still more rudimentary in character and 

 its feet are now two-jointed, but poorly developed. It remains quietlv underground 

 in its cell for about two weeks, and then changes into an ordinary beetle-chrysalis. 

 This is the last stage but one, and it extends to about twenty days ; then the bright 



little beetle emerges and proceeds to feed 

 upon the leaves of its food-plants and to 

 find a mate. Owing to its shining green 

 colour it is not easy to see the beetle upon 

 the leaves, but its presence is revealed by 

 a peculiar odour it gives forth. 



The remarkable thing about this 

 series of changes is what has been called 

 the false-pupa stage. \Mien it assumes the 

 form of a fly's puparium, one would expect 

 that it would change into a chrysalis 

 within. A similar stage — as we shall see — 

 occurs only in a few other beetles, and 

 these all have somewhat similar habits. 

 As the metamorphosis departs from the 

 usual course of the Insects which exhibit 

 three distinct changes of form after the 

 Nemoptera. egg-stage, it has been described as hyper- 



^ 



This represents another group of the ant-lions, though they do mCtamorphoSlS. 

 not construct pitfalls. In the adult state they are remarkable 



for the slender shape and great length of the hind-wings. 



Amone: the beetles that are well 



