vi] LARVAE AND THEIR ADAPTATIONS 51 



distinct tarsal segments. The foot of an adult beetle 

 bears two claws at its tip, while the larval foot in 

 the great majority of families has only one claw. 

 In one section of the order, however, the Adephaga 

 comprising the predaceous terrestrial and aquatic 



Fig. 12. a, Carrion-beetle (Silplia) with its larva, b. 

 Magnified, a 3 times, and b 4 times. 



beetles, the larval foot has, like that of the adult, 

 two claws. Some adephagous larvae, notably those 

 of the large carnivorous water-beetles (Dyticus), often 



42 



