M 



ELATERIDJE. 461 



narrowed in' front, with the tarsi ciliate beneath, and entirely 

 simple. Elater obliquus Say is a small species about a quarter 

 of an inch long, of a leathery brown color, and yellowish red 

 on the prothorax and base of the elytra. In 

 Agriotes and allies the front is very convex, 

 the edge of which is higher than the labrum ; the 

 antennse are slender, scarcely serrate, the first / 

 joint being a little longer than usual. / ; 



In Ludius the front is convex, but not mar- 

 gined behind the labrum, the angle of the hind 

 coxae are acute and prominent, while the meso- Fi - 42L 

 sternum is not prominent. Mr. Walsh has found the larva of 

 L. attenuatus Say (Fig. 421 ; fig. 422, larva) which lived in 

 decaying wood for two years in his breeding jar. The 

 genus Agriotes has the margin of the prothorax bent 

 down in front, while in Dolopius it is straight. Agriotes 

 mancus Say is a pale reddish brown species, while A. 

 stabilis, much more abundant northward, is slenderer, 

 of a darker hue, with a dark shade along the inner 

 edge of each elytron. D. pauper Lee. is a 

 small species found northward. 



Melanotus includes some of our most com- 

 mon species, such as M. communis Gyll., which 

 is of the usual dull brown color. The genus 

 may be known by the front being moderately 

 Fig. 422. conveX) margined anteriorly, and the antennse 

 are serrate, with the first joint of the usual size, while 

 the prothorax is lobed in front, and the claws are 

 strongly pectinate. . Fig. 423 represents a larva prob- 

 ably of this genus. 



In Limonlus and Athous the front is margined, the 

 mouth placed farther forward from the prosternum, 

 the coxal plates are narrow, gradually dilated inwards, 

 and the first joint is only moderate in length. In Fi s- 423 ' 

 Limonius the first tarsal joint is scarcely longer than the 

 second, while in Athous the first tarsal joint is elongated, and 

 the prosternal lobe is long. Limonius plebeius Lee. and L. 

 ectypus Say are obscure reddish brown insects, with a slight 

 fine pubescence. 



