March— April 1SS3. | 



PSYCHE. 



■25 



scales as thev are hairs — are sword- 

 shaped (see fig. ^), and of a yellowish 

 color. Their lengdi is from 0.35 mm. 

 to 0.30 inm., their width about o.oi 

 mm., and thev are covered with longi- 

 tudinal striae, whicli are usualh' about 

 o.ooi mm. apart. These hairs or scales 

 are easilv seen to contain air bv using 

 water or alcohol to drive it out. I in- 

 troduce them here only to illustrate this 

 somewhat common form of appendage 

 intermediate between scales and hairs. 

 I have found no other squamiform ap- 

 pendages on the limited number of 

 Itnprcstidac which I Jiave examined. 



No description has been given, as far 

 as I can discover, of scales in elater- 

 fdac, altho the generic names Chalcn- 

 lepis and Chalcolepiduts. and the spe- 

 cific names oi Adcloccra lepidoptera. 

 Lacon leprosus, ATeristJuis lepidottis. 

 Monocrepidius lepidus^ Cryftohypttiis 

 squamifery and others, would implv that 

 the presence of scales had been either 

 suspected or verified. That the scales 

 of elatcridae are interesting in form 

 and structure can be seen bv the follow- 

 ing descriptions of scales of Chalcolep- 

 idiiis, oi A/ans and of an undetermined 

 species of European elatcridae. 



SCAI,ES OF CHAI.COLEPIDIUS. 



Nearly the whole surface of C. rithri- 

 peini/s, except its elytra, is thickly cov- 

 ered with scales, which give to the parts 

 thus covered a peculiar metallic or 

 bronzed aspect, with colors changing 

 trom blue to greenish or reddish. 



Tlie scales from all parts of this insect 

 are very much alike, varving little in 

 form (see fig. 6, a, b, and c). They 

 are all of ovate form, more or less elon- 

 gate, with the larger end toward their 

 shank or stem, which is nearlv always 

 broken off in removing them from the 

 insect : thev are verv flat, scarcelv con. 

 vex above, but do not rest verv tightlv 

 pressed upon tne surface of the insect. 

 Their length is from 0.09 to o. i^ mm., 

 their width from 0.02 to 0.04 mm., and 

 their thickness is about 0.002^ mm. 



These scales when removed and ex- 

 amined under the microscope are uni- 

 formU" brown, except with verv oblique- 

 Iv transmitted light, when they are 

 sometimes piu'plish. If, however, thev 

 are put u])on a black surface and illumi- 



Fig. 6. Different forms of scales from Chnlinli-pidius 

 rubripi'ftnif^. Enlarged lOO diameters. 



nated from above thev are brilliant with 

 blue, red anil green, the color depending 

 upon the position of the sm'facc of the 

 scale with reference to the light. Put in 

 direct sunliglit, on a black surface, and 

 tiie microscope focussed somewhat above 

 them, the light is decomposed in fine lines 

 of brilliant blue, green and red, as if 

 series of solar spectra \vere drawn up 

 near each other, thus indicating striation 

 of the scale-surface. The scales ha\e a 

 verv slight tendencv to longitudinal fold- 

 ing, but no striae, or reallv distinct 



