456 ABNORMAL COLEOPTERA. _  [Stylops. 
chanters are elongate and the tarsi are four-jointed with the last joint 
emarginate at apex; the female is larviform. 
The full-grown larvee of Stylops are nearly cylindrical fleshy grubs, 
about a quarter of an inch long, of a white colour, with the head distinct 
and flattened, and attached to the body by a neck ; the head is not at 
this time furnished with distinct mandibles, but appears only to be 
provided with several small elevated tubercles, behind which is a trans- 
verse impression: Professor Westwood, who points out these facts, is 
inclined to agree with Mr. Kirby that the larva feeds by absorption. 
Mr. Dale, who has been by far the most fortunate Entomologist as far 
as this group is concerned, thus relates his observations regarding Stylops ; 
they have already been quoted by Curtis and Westwood but may with 
advantage be repeated : “ Every specimen of Andrena barbilabris I have 
seen this year (1827), from the 27th April to the 4th June, has con- 
tained larve, pups, or exuvie of Stylops, from one to three in each. 
On the 5th May I picked out one with a pin, on the 7th another 
rather immature, and caught one flying in the hot sunshine over a quick- 
set hedge in the garden; it looked milk-white on the wing, with a jet 
black body, and totally unlike anything else ; it flew with an undulating 
or vacillating motion amongst the young shoots, and I could not catch 
it till it settled on one, when it ran up and down, its wings in motion, 
and making a considerable buzz or hum nearly as loud as a Ses?a - it 
twisted about its rather long tail, and turned it up like a Staphylinus. I 
put it under a glass and placed it in the sun; it became quite furious 
in its confinement, and never ceased running about for two hours. The 
elytra or processes were kept in quick vibration as well as the wings ; it 
buzzed about the sides of the glass, with its head touching it, and tumbled 
about on its back. By putting two bees (A. /abialis) under a glass in 
the sun, two Stylops were produced ; the bees seemed uneasy and went 
up towards them, but evidently with caution, as if to fight, and moving 
their antennex towards them, retreated. I once thought the bee attempted 
to seize one, but the oddest thing was to see the Stylops get on the 
body of the bee and ride about, the latter using every effort to throw 
his rider. A large hole is: left in the tail of the bee when Stylops escapes, 
which closes up after a time. I have found five species of Andrenz 
infested.” 
Professor Westwood (l.c. p. 299) adds that the bees were quite mad 
immediately before the Stylops came out, and that when on the body of 
the bee the Stylops kept its wings still and half erect; the males of the 
species of Xenos and Elenchus appear to be equally active and rapid 
in their movements ; this property would appear to be very necessary 
for the union of the male and female on the body of a rapidly moving 
bee or wasp ; as remarked by Mr. Dale, the bees seem unable to shake 
off the parasite when it has obtained a firm footing ; this it is probably 
enabled to do by means of the membranous lobes of the tarsi, although 
the absen:e of tarsal claws would scem to be a disadvantage, 
