COLEOPTERA. 



565 



The Hermit Flower-beetle, Osmodcrma eremicola (Os-mo 

 der'ma er-e-mic'o-la). — This is one of the 

 larger of our Flower-beetles (Fig. 684). It 

 is of a deep mahogany-brown color, nearly 

 smooth, and highly polished. It is sup- 

 posed that the larva lives on decaying 

 wood in forest-trees. 



The Rough Flower-beetle, Osmoderma 

 scabra (O. sca'bra), is closely allied to the 

 preceding. It is not quite as large, meas- 

 uring about one inch in length. It is 

 purplish black, and the wing-covers are 

 roughened with irregular, coarsely-punc- 

 tured striae. It is nocturnal, concealing Fig. 684. 

 itself durine the day in the crevices and hollows of trees. 

 The larva lives in the decaying wood of apple and cherry, 

 consuming the wood and inducing more rapid decay. 



The Bumble Flower-beetle, Euphoria inda (Eu-pho'ri-a 

 in'da). — The most common of our Flower-beetles, at least in 

 the North, is a yellowish-brown one, with the 

 wing-covers sprinkled all over with small, irregular 

 black spots (Fig. 685). It is one of the first in- 

 sects to appear in the spring. It flies near the 

 surface of the ground with a loud humming 

 sound, like that of a bumble-bee, for which it is 

 j often mistaken. During the summer months it is 

 fig. 63 5 . not seen . b u t a new brood appears about the 

 middle of September. The adult is a general feeder occur- 

 ring upon flowers, eating the pollen ; upon corn-stalks and 

 green corn in the milk, sucking the juices ; and upon peaches, 

 grapes, and apples. Occasionally the ravages are very 

 serious. 



The genus Euphoria represents well the form of the 

 more typical Flower-beetles, which are distinguished by the 

 margin of each wing-cover having a large wavy indentation 

 near its base, which renders the side pieces of the meso- 



