476 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



it is evident that its carnivorous habits sometimes lead it into ren- 

 dering at least slight services to mankind. Dr. L. O. Howard * 

 found it in 1896 feeding on the eggs of the tussock moth {Orgyia 

 leucostigma) , the insect that in the previous year defoliated the 

 elms on Boston Common, and committed other serious depreda- 

 tions throughout eastern Massachusetts. In Europe a few Dermes- 

 tid beetles have been found feeding on the eggs of the gypsy 

 moth, but no member of this family having this habit has been 

 recorded heretofore in this country. 



Descriptions of the larva and pupa of this interesting beetle 

 are given below : — 



Full-grown Larva. — Length, 4.2 mm. Width at prothorax, 1 

 mm.; at fifth abdominal segment, 1.2 mm. Body somewhat 

 cylindrical in form. Head narrower than prothorax. Abdominal 

 segments beyond the fifth tapering slightly to the end of the 

 body. Color, seal-brown above ; posterior margin of each seg- 

 ment with a broad band of yellowish white. Dorsal line im- 

 pressed. Head small, partly depressed beneath the prothorax, 

 and bearing spines. Prothorax nearly as long as the meso- and 

 meta-thorax together ; slightly wider behind than in front. Dor- 

 sum with a transverse row of long spines near the anterior 

 margin, the remainder of the segment sparsely spiny. Hind 

 angles rounded. Front margin broadly yellowish white, hind 

 margin with a narrow band of the same color. Meso- and meta- 

 thorax about equal in width and length, each segment truncate 

 behind, the posterior angles being nearly rectangular. Trans- 

 verse row of spines on each of these segments arranged near the 

 middle of the dorsum. Abdominal segments one to five sub- 

 equal, and each bearing a dorsal row of spines placed similarly 

 to those on the meta-thorax. Each has a transverse ridge near 

 the anterior margin, while the posterior yellowish-white band is 

 more than half the width of some of the segments. 



Beyond the fifth segment on each side of the dorsum arise nu- 

 merous long, fine, grayish-colored hairs, which form a dense brush, 

 nearly meeting above and obscuring the rest of the body. Sides 

 of all the segments provided with a cluster of spines ; venter 

 having a transverse row and numerous scattered spines on each 

 segment. Legs short; four easily recognizable joints. Femur 

 stout ; outer edge bearing long spines, which under low magnifica- 

 tion appear segmented, but when highly magnified are thickly set 

 with short barbs. Tibia slightly longer than femur ; spines short 

 and simple. Tarsus one-jointed, tapering to the one-jointed ap- 



* Bull. 5, Tech. Ser. Div. Ent., U. S. Dep. Agr., page 46. 



