'parnsitea in Nrsf of Bombus derhamellus . • 107 



arc correct, this .species {E. ohsolefa) occurs in very different 

 habitats. Bagnall (2) found adults of E. angustula Er., 

 irequently in the burrows of the Scolytid (Ipid) Trypo- 

 dendron {Xyloterus) domesticum, and considers that the 

 Epuraea preys on the bark-beetle. Bagnall also found (1) 

 larvae pupae and adults of E. jxmnda Er. * in the funjijus 

 Dnldinia concentrica on dead wood. Field coleopterists 

 are of course familiar with the situations in which the 

 members of this genus are to be found, but the precise 

 facts of their natural history are iiot well known. 



Food, of the larvae of Epuraea, deprcssa. — The only evidence 

 as to the role played by the larvae in the nests of the bees 

 is afforded by the remains of food in their alimentary 

 canals. Such remains are visible in three larvae cleared by 

 boiling in 5 % potash solution and mounted in balsam. 

 Two have closely-packed masses of food in the hind part 

 of the gut, the third has a mass between its mandibles. 

 The bulk of these remains consists of mineral particles, 

 frequently colourless. There are also many vegetable 

 fragments, pronounced by an expert mycologist, Mr. F. T. 

 Brooks, without doubt to be hyphae of fungi, perhaps of 

 more than one kind : and numerous brown bodies which 

 are almost certainly fungal spores. Tliese objects indicate 

 that the larvae play the part of scavengers. [Compare the 

 view that the adults of Epnraea anguslida are probably 

 predaceous; see above.] 



VI. Larva of Epuraea depressa. (Figs. 1-7.) 



The larvae are in various stages of growt.h, and measure 

 from about 3 to about 6 mm. long. The general colour 

 is pale yellowish. In most respects the larvae agree with 

 that of E. obsoleta as described by Ferris (18), being char- 

 acterised specially by the presence of numerous tubercles 

 bearing flattened, spatulate, hairs, on the dorsal surface, 

 and by having the spiracles situated at the summit of 

 tubercular prominences. The following details are from 

 the full-grown larva, though I have observed no structural 

 differences between partly and fully grown examples. 



Head (Fig. 2).- — -Dorsal surface presenting a closely 

 dotted appearance under a high power; under a /r-in. 

 objective the dots, which are not indicated in fig. 2 a, are 



* E. parvula is regarded by Grouvelle (15, p. 123) as a synonym 

 of E. rnfomargivata, Steph, 



