﻿l62 
  

  

  inch 
  long'when 
  full 
  grown, 
  and 
  with 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  short 
  legs 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  This 
  last 
  is 
  flattened, 
  wedge-shaped, 
  with 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  the 
  jaws 
  extending 
  forward. 
  These 
  wireworms 
  are 
  

   ordinarily 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  grass-lands, 
  which 
  are 
  their 
  normal 
  breed- 
  

  

  3: 
  

  

  Fig. 
  88.- 
  The 
  Corn 
  

   Wireworm, 
  Melanu- 
  

   tus 
  cribulosiis, 
  larva. 
  

  

  

  ^^■>^.> 
  

  

  Fig. 
  90. 
  The 
  Corn 
  Wire- 
  

   worm, 
  Melanotns 
  cribulosus, 
  

   last 
  segment 
  of 
  larva, 
  top 
  

   \ 
  iew. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  92. 
  The 
  Corn 
  

   Wireworm, 
  Melanotus 
  

   criduh'SKS, 
  right-side 
  

   view 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   middle 
  segments. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  8y. 
  Dmstcriiis 
  ele- 
  

   \gans, 
  larva. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  91. 
  Drasterius 
  elegans, 
  last 
  

   segment 
  of 
  laiva, 
  top 
  view. 
  

  

  ing 
  grounds, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  about 
  two 
  years 
  before 
  trans- 
  

   forming 
  to 
  the 
  adult 
  beetle 
  stage, 
  they 
  continue 
  their 
  injuries 
  to 
  suc- 
  

   ceeding 
  crops 
  when 
  the 
  infested 
  pastures 
  or 
  meadows 
  are 
  broken 
  up, 
  

   often 
  doing 
  much 
  greater 
  injury 
  to 
  this 
  cultivated 
  vegetation 
  than 
  to 
  

   the 
  grass 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  which 
  furnish 
  their 
  usual 
  food. 
  

  

  These 
  wireworms 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  smaller 
  roots 
  of 
  beets, 
  

   and, 
  burrowing 
  into 
  the 
  tap-roots 
  and 
  crowns, 
  often 
  cause 
  the 
  plants 
  to 
  

   shrivel 
  and 
  die. 
  The 
  species 
  have 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  been 
  discriminated 
  by 
  

   observers, 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  larvae 
  of 
  Mclanotus 
  cribulosus 
  and 
  of 
  Dras- 
  

   terius 
  elegans 
  about 
  beet 
  roots 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  injured 
  and 
  

   eaten 
  away. 
  An 
  elaborate 
  account 
  of 
  them 
  and 
  of 
  their 
  injuries 
  to 
  corn 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Eighteenth 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Entomologist 
  of 
  

   Illinois, 
  with 
  keys 
  and 
  figures 
  for 
  the 
  discrimination 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  thus 
  far 
  separated. 
  

  

  The 
  injurious 
  species 
  agree 
  fairly 
  well 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  features 
  of 
  their 
  

   life 
  history. 
  They 
  change, 
  when 
  full 
  grown, 
  to 
  dormant 
  pupx 
  in 
  the 
  

   earth 
  in 
  July, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  in 
  August, 
  and 
  again 
  some 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

  

  