Ehizotrogus. | LAMELLICORNIA. 51 
Very rare; Holyhead, Wales (Stevens and Brewer); one specimen recorded by 
Stephens from ‘‘ probably Derbyshire or Yorkshire.” 
MELOLONTHA, Fabricius. 
This genus contains about twenty species, of which seven are found in 
Europe; the remainder are widely distributed, representatives occurring 
in China and Japan, India and Ceylon, Manilla, Java, Borneo, &c.; the 
species are, as a rule, of large size, and may be known by the faet that 
the antennal club is composed of seven lamelle in the male and six in 
the female; the antenne are 10-jointed,a character that will at once 
separate them from Phyllopertha and our species of Rhizotrogus 
(Amphimalla); the Melo!onthe are exceedingly destructive insects, as in 
the perfect state they devour leaves and in the larval state they consume 
the roots of grass. 
The larva of Melolontha vulgaris, the common cockchafer, has been described by 
many authors; it is large, thick, and fleshy, of a dirty white colour, with the head 
ferruginous and shining, and the legs pale ferruginous; the antenne are a little 
longer than the mandibles, and are 4-jointed; the anterior pairs of legs are rather 
shorter than the intermediate and posterior pairs, which are of equal length ; the 
segments are transversely rugose, and the last is Jarge and apparently divided by 
a false articulation ; the upper surface of the body is furnished with short upright 
bristles, and long separate hairs which are intermingled with these; the pupa is 
rather large, with the abdominal portion slightly curved, but does not present any 
striking peculiarities. 
The female cockchafer lays her eggs early in the summer, about six or 
eight inches below the surface of the ground; in from four to six weeks 
these hatch, and the insects continue in the larval state for three years; 
during the first year they attain a lengthof from 16to18mm.,and when full 
grown they are about one and a half inches long; in early spring they come 
up near the surface and feed on the roots of corn, grasses, and other plants, 
descending again deeper towards winter ; at the end of the third summer 
they are full fed, and go down into the earth for a depth of two or more 
feet, where they form oval cells, and change into large fleshy pup, 
which have the abdomen terminated by two small pointed cerci; the 
insect continues in the pupa state about four weeks; the perfect beetles 
emerge about October, but do not leave the ground until the beginning 
of the following summer, when they come out in May and the beginning of 
June, and begin to feed on the foliage of oaks, chestnuts and other trees; 
they remain torpid under the leaves during the day, but fly towards 
dusk. As both in the perfect and the larval state these beetles do a 
great amount of damage, it is obvious that it is most important to find 
some means of preventing or checking their ravages; Miss Ormerod 
recommends that on ground where the insect is known to be present 
good drenchings of some fluid such as tobacco water or gas water should 
be used to drive the insect from the roots; it is however questionable 
whether this would do much good, as the larva can endure much more 
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