394 



NATURAL HISTORY OF ARTHROPODS. 



Fig. 476. — Anophthalmus 

 tiUkamjijii, 



Beetles of this lamily live, for the ino.^^t |iart, on or near the ground, remaining 

 concealed beneath lioards and stones during the day, and wandering out at night in 

 search of their prey. A [)artieularly favorable place to collect 

 many sjiecies is beneath the dehn's left by the overflowing of 

 rivers. Another situation not uuich h'ss ])roduetive is under 

 stones along the banks of larger streams and rivers ; a few are 

 found along the sea-coast, under stones; and a species of ^^)^m.*- 

 live between the high and low water mark ujion the shores of 

 the ocean, where they are covered by the salt-water the greater 

 part of the day. Tliey respire air which surrounds and ad- 

 heres to them while they are submerged. On account of their 

 predaceous habits, few Carabidaj live in nests of ants or of 

 other insects ; but Bates states that Solenogenys foeda, from 

 the upper Amazon, lives on the nests of termites. A number 

 of species of this family inhabit caverns; among them those 

 of the genus Anophthalmus are best known and are eyeless, 

 or at least liliud, both as larvie and imagos. llkqyhanus, an 

 Australi.'ui genus, is, as its name indicates, eyeless, while 

 Rcicheia liicifiajd. which is found along river banks in south- 

 ern France, has the eyes aborted. 

 The larva' of Carabid;e are elongated, often partly corneous. They liave four- 

 jointed antenme, and somewhat long five-jointed legs. 'J'hc manilil>les are falciform 

 and prominent, the maxillary palpi are four-jointed, the labial paljii two-jointed, and 

 the ocelli are aenerally from four to si.\ on each side. In the larv£e of IScMrilct; and 

 Anophthalmus, and of a few other genera, ocelli are absent. It is usually stated that 

 carabid larvw, like those of the Cicindelida'. Dytiscidw, and Gyrinidie, and unlike 

 those of most other families, have two claws on each foot ; but this character is not 

 without exception in the carabid lar\a', for the larva? of u^pus, a genus already men- 

 tioned, and of CiUenniii, are stated to have but one claw on each foot. Chapuis and 

 Candeze write: "The color of these larva' varies from a light brown to a dee]) black, 

 and, exceptionally, to yellowish white. They are very active, and wander about ujion 

 the ground. The <>'reater jiart of them live upon jirey which they get possession of in 

 various ways. Thus insects, caterpillars, ami molluscs form their ordinary food. 

 They do not tear this jjrey to pieces, but limit themselves to extracting its juices, a cir- 

 cumstance that explains the smallness of their liuccal ajjerture. Some live on vegetable 

 substances. This fact, proved for Zahriis ijihhus, j)robably will lie the s.ame with the 

 greater part of the larva' of Harjialini and of Amara." This prediction as to the 

 phytopliagic habits of Carabidre has since proved true, and quite a large number of 

 these insects are known to feed upon pollen and other jiartsof plants, while the Zabriis 

 mentioned above has ]iroved at times destructive to young turnip plants and to other 

 crops. In jiarts of California Plati/inis maadicoUis has become so abundant as to be 

 a nuisance, swarming in every corner, and entering food and clothing in masses. The 

 popular name given this beetle is " oveiflow-bug." With the exception of Zubrus gib- 

 bus and Platymis maculicollis, the iiisects of this family may be regarded as generally 

 beneficial, for the phytojihagous S])ecies mostly devour the pollen and seed of weeds, 

 while the great majority of Carabidie attack the larv» of noxious insects. 



Among curious food habits of Carabidte it may l)e mentioned that D'Aumont 

 observed that lirachinus cripitd/is, in company with cari'ion beetles, hel|ied devour a 



