252 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. X, 



ninth abdominal segment bears two caudally directed stout, 

 curved prongs on its dorso-cephalad surface. The adult 

 is characterized by having the presternum very short anteriorly, 

 thus leaving the under mouthparts exposed ; by having the meso- 

 coxse contiguous; and the front not carinate, in this last respect 

 being very similar to our subfamily Elaterinas. Heretofore 

 the insect upon which this tribe is established, Oestodes tenui- 

 collis, has been placed in the Campylites. This is undoubtedly 

 erroneous. The larva of the type species of the genus Campylus 

 has been described by Schiodte (1861-1869) and by Henriksen 

 (1911) and the similarity of this larva and also the adult of 

 the typical Campylus and Athous, leaves but little doubt that 

 the Campylidinse (Lepturoidinas) are not in a tribe by them- 

 selves, but very closely related to the Athouina and in no way 

 whatever related to Oestodes. It is barely possible that Schiodte 

 did not actually have the larva of Campylus denticornis as this 

 insect is certainly easily distinguished from Athous on adult 

 characters. 



The tribe Pyrophorini includes five generally accepted 

 tribes which are here reduced to subtribal rank. The first 

 subtribe, Agrypnina, is distinguished in the larval stage by the 

 simple anal armature, simple mandibles and triangular sub- 

 mentum. The Hemirrhipina includes the Alaites of Candeze 

 (1891) and the Hemirrhipini of authors. It is . distinguished 

 by the simple mandibles in the adult stage and by the presence 

 of the meso-metasternal suture. The Chalcolepidina are dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of the meso-metasternal suture, 

 being the only Elaterids in which this suture is not well defined. 

 This character is of rather questionable value, however, as 

 Alaus is so extremely similar to Chalcolepidius in many very 

 important characters that it is questionable whether this 

 genus should be placed in the Hemirrhipina or in the Chal- 

 colepidina. Leconte and Horn placed Alaus and Chalcolepidius 

 in the same tribe, excluding Hemirrhipus. The wing venation 

 of the two genera is almost identical; the cubital cross vein 

 arising at the base of the first fork of the cubitus and the 

 radio median cross vein arising at about the middle of the median 

 cell. The Pyrophorina are distinguished from all other Elaterids 

 by the luminous vesicles of the prothorax. The "nasale" 

 in the larvae has, on its anterior border, seven blunt teeth 



