NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE CARABID GENERA 

 BRACHYNUS, GALERITA AND CHLAENIUS.* 



J. L. King, Harrisburg, Pa. 



One of the most interesting and unexpected habits recorded 

 of the Carabidce centers about the egg-laying of certain species 

 of the genus Chlaenius. In a family of beetles so decidedly 

 terrestrial in their habits we are indeed surprised to find that 

 certain members deposit their eggs in delicate mud or clay 

 cells high above the ground on the leaves of trees and shrubs. 



Dr. C. V. Riley in the Proceedings of the Entomological 

 Society of Washington, I, 23, 1884, was the first to record this 

 interesting method of oviposition through his observations of the 

 egg cells of Chlaenius impunctifrons Say. He also stated in 

 this note he had strong proof that Chlae?ims aestivus Say, 

 Scarites suhterrmieus Fab. and the genera Dicaeliis and Galerita 

 share with C. impunctifrons its singular mode of oviposition. 

 However, after the publication of this note Riley does not seem 

 to have given his proof that the beetles in question do deposit 

 their eggs in earthen cells as does C. impunctifrons nor, as far 

 as the writer is aware, do we have further mention of this 

 anomalous method of oviposition occurring in the Carabidas 

 until a recent paper by Claassen in 1919. f In this paper 

 we are given a description and figure of the mud cells of Chlaenius 

 impunctifrons, the same species reared by Riley in 1884. 



The writer first observed these eggs during the summer of 

 1917, but was not successful in rearing the larvae which issued 

 beyond the third instar. As all attempts to learn the identity 

 of the cell builder proved fruitless the study was again taken 

 up the following year with such success that it was proven 

 Chlaenius aestivus Say was one of the cell builders, however, a 

 marked difference in the form and placement of the cells led 

 to the conclusion there were three species of cell builders 

 living in the same habitat. Through careful rearing from eggs 

 to adults this proved to be true as Galerita bicolor Drury and 



* A paper on the life histories and biology of the beetles herein mentioned is 

 in preparation by the author. 



t Claassen, W. P., Life History and Biological Notes on Chlaenius impuncti- 

 frons vSay. Annals Ent. Soc. Amer., XII, 95-09, PI. VI. 1919. 



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