NOTES OX THE HABITS OF IirPOrRILHIA SPISSIPES 

 LEC. WITH DESCRIPTIOX OF THE FEMALES. 



BV HENRY GUERNSEY HUBBARD. CRESCENT CITY. FLORIDA. 



Several years ago I t'ound in Florida 

 a male specliiieii of this beetle, impaled 

 upon a needle of the long-leave<l pine 

 ( Piiiiis atisfra/is) which Iiad fallen 

 and lav upon the gound with its pointed 

 end projecting upwards. The body 

 was pierced through the back, between 

 the scutellum and the hinge of the ely- 

 tron. The wing-cases were spread 

 widely open, as in the act of flight. 

 Recently a second male, which is caught 

 in a precisely similar manner, on the 

 entl of a broken grass culm, has been 

 sent from Florida to the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of agriculture. The beetle is 

 so firmly fastened that the long journey 

 from Florida has not sliaken it from the 

 spear of grass. 



The repetition of this accident in the 

 case of an insect of such rare occur- 

 rence that it is almost unknown in col- 

 lections, suggested to me that the beetle 

 might have a mode of flight very difl'er- 

 ent from that of related mav-beetles 

 (meloloiit/iidac) . This surmise I have 

 been able to verify in a manner that 

 throws some light upon the habits of 

 the beetle. 



One day. last spring, during a light 

 shower succeeding a long drought, 

 while standing in an open place I be- 

 came aware of an insect flying around 

 me with great rapiclit}', and with a buz- 



zing noise. Presently I distinguished a 

 beetle which I at first mistook for an ab- 

 normally active indiyidual oi Euphoria 

 {Cctonia) inda. It flew in circles, 

 close to the earth, and seemed to be in 

 search of something. Finally it made 

 a sudden dart into the loose sand, and 

 almost immediatel)' disappeared beneath 

 the smface. A considerable subterran- 

 ean commotion, however, marked the 

 spot, and I easily uncovered it at a 

 depth of about five centimetres. It 

 proved to be a male of Plyfotricliia 

 spissipes, and as I took in mv hand, 

 a second male, with \\ bich it had been 

 locked in combat, disengaged itself and 

 flew away. A female, which I fortu- 

 nately secuietl, was immediately be- 

 neath the struggling males. It would 

 seem, therefore, that H\potrichia is not 

 entirely crepuscular like its relatives the 

 mav-beetles (Lac/tiiosferiia) . but that 

 it also flies by day i at least in cloudy 

 weather. Its flight resembles that of 

 certain cetonians. which flit, hither and 

 thither, keeping close to the ground. 

 The latter, however, are abroad during 

 the brightest noon-day sunshine. The 

 bod\'. especially In the males, is very 

 thinly chitinizetl, and this, with its 

 headlong flight, exposes it to such acci- 

 dents as are recorded al)ove. The 

 females are exceedingly rare. They can 



