83 



Mdqidae. Containing the well known Cantharides or blister-beetles, 

 including the well known destructive ash-colored, black and striped 

 potato-beetle. 



Tenebrionidae. or darkling-beetles, including the "meat-worm," and 

 a few other injurious species which inhabit houses and graineries. 



The third or Tetramerous section is pre-eminently the injurious 

 division of the order, for it not only includes the immense weevil or 

 curculio family, but also the true wood-borers and the true plant- 

 beetles. The section is divided into four tribes, each, except the first, 

 containing but a single family, and therefore unnecessary to be consid- 

 ered distinct divisions here 



Bruchidae. This small family contains the pea-weevil and its con- 

 venors. 



Curculionidae, the snout-beetles or Curculios. This immense family, 

 which is distinguished chiefly by the front of the head being prolonged 

 into a snout, is conveniently divided into two chief sections, thus : 



Section 1. Brevirostres or short-snouts. This section, although it 

 includes several sub-families, contains no notedly injurious species. 



Section 2. Longirostres or long-snouts. This section is very ex- 

 tensive, and contains nearly all the injurious curculios or fenout- 

 weevils. As examples, we may mention the plum curculio (Conotrachc- 

 lus nenuphar) ; the long-snout nut-weevil (Balaninus nasicus) ; the ap- 

 ple-curculio (Anthonomus ^-gibbus) ; the strawberry crown-borer (Analas 

 fragariae), etc. 



Scoiytidae or short-horned wood-borers. Includes a number of very 

 small wood boring beetles, of which the hickory bark miner is an ex- 

 ample. 



Cerambycidae. Includes the long-horned wood-borers, and is one of 

 the most extensive families of the order. It has been divided into 

 several sub-families, the following being represented in Illinois : 



Sub-family 1. Prioninae. The large brown, somewhat flattened, 

 long-horned beetles ; the large grape-root borer is the larva of a species 

 of this sub-family. 



Sub-family 2. Cerambycinae. The true long-horned wood-borers, 

 with the he;td horizontal or but slightly inclined ; twig-borer (Elaphid- 

 ion parallelum) ; the locust-borer (Glytus roblniae),a,nd sugar-maple borer 

 ( i Uytvs speciosus) are familiar examples. 



Sub-family 3. Lepturinae. This division includes those species 

 which have the head horizontal, or nearly so, and the elytra tapering 

 backwards. We have no noted injurious species belonging to this 

 division. 



Sub-family 4. Lorminae. The true Jong-horned wood-borers, with 

 the head vertical. Examples: the round-headed apple borer (Saperda 

 canida), the twig girdler (Oncideres cingulatus,) etc. 



Chrysomelidae. True plant beetles. This extensive family includes 

 all those species similar in habits and characters to the Colorado 

 potato beetle (Doryphora 20-lkneata); the striped cucumber beetle 

 (Diabroticavittata); the cabbage and grape-vine flea beetles (Haltica); 

 the sweet potato beetle (Cassida), etc. As this family is very large, 

 it has been subdivided into a number of sub families. 



