THE BEETLES 



3117 



PALM WEEVIL. 

 (Natural size.) 



rather soft skin, and in general form most resemble the larvae of Buprestidce. These 

 larvae all live in the interior of plants; some feeding just under the bark, while the 

 great majority bore tunnels in the woody tissue, or live exclusively in the pith. The 

 males have, as a rule, longer antennae than the females, and may often be distin- 

 guished by the larger size of the eyes, jaws, or prothorax, 

 or the greater length of the legs. The females are pro- 

 vided with a flexible ovipositor, which can be protruded 

 some distance beyond the end of the body. In the sub- 

 family Prionince the anterior coxae are strongly trans- 

 verse, and their sockets widely open behind, the sides of 

 the prothorax are sharply edged, the palpi are never 

 pointed at the end, and the front tibiae are without a 

 groove underneath. This subfamily is the least numer- 

 ous in species, though many of these are distinguished 

 for their great size. Titanus giganteus, a Brazilian 

 species, sometimes measures over half a foot long, and 

 is the largest of all known beetles, while the sawyer 

 beetle {Macrodontia cervicornis] and other species oc- 

 curring in tropical America, are not much smaller. Most 

 of the Prionince are found in the warmer parts of the 

 world. They are represented in Europe by Prionus coriarius, Ergatesfaber, and a 

 few other forms. P. coriarius is the only species which occurs in England, and is 

 not very common, being met with chiefly in oak woods, where the larvae live in 

 the trunks of rotten trees. The Cerambytince are widely distributed and include a 

 very large number of species. They are, as a rule, narrower than the Prionince, and 



without sharp lateral edges to 

 the prothorax, while the sock- 

 ets of their front legs are 

 seldom strongly transverse and 

 are often rounded and com- 

 pletely closed behind. Most 

 of the species have a stridulat- 

 ing area on the mesonotum, 

 and by this means are enabled 

 to produce sounds. This sub- 

 family includes a number of 

 very remarkable mimetic 

 forms, some with broadly ex- 

 panded elytra, and black and 

 tawny colors resembling 

 Lytidce, others with the elytra 

 greatly reduced in size, and 



the shape of the body modified in imitation of various Hymenoptera. The metallic- 

 colored beetles of the group Callichromides , most of which are found in tropical 

 countries, exhale a scent resembling attar of roses. In England this group is repre- 



Hylotrupes bajulus, with larva. 

 (Natural size.) 



