108 SCHOOL ENTOMOLOGY 



chophora, includes the snout beetles. Larvae of Cole- 

 optera are typically six-footed, with sometimes a sort of 

 pro-leg at the tip of the abdomen. Some of the borers 

 have lost their feet through disuse. The larvae of snout 

 beetles are entirely footless. They are stout bodied, usu- 

 ally slightly curved beneath and humpbacked. They are 

 distinguished from some Hymenopterous larvae mainly by 

 their more distinct heads and stouter jaws. Larvae of 

 Genuina have many forms, some fleshy and cylindrical, 

 others hardened like the adults and of dark colors and 

 still others intermediate between these two types. 



64. Food Habits. Adults and larvae of some beetles are 

 plant eaters, and are, many of them, among our most 

 important insect enemies. Many beetles are scavengers, 

 feeding on decaying animal and plant substances. One 

 is parasitic on beavers, but animal parasites are rare 

 among the beetles. Many beetles bore in solid wood, 

 both dead and alive, and many burrow in the ground 

 and live on the roots of plants. 



As might be expected from the number of species 

 there are many families, and a considerable proportion of 

 these may be recognized from a few simple characters. 

 Space will not permit the mention of all, even of the 

 common forms, but those families having the greatest 

 number of important species will be briefly described. 



65. Cincindelidae. The Tiger-beetks are usually of me- 

 dium size and somewhat flattened in form, with the 

 elytra broader than the pro-thorax and head. All species 

 have fairly long legs and bright colors. The common 

 species exhibit almost no variation in form and little in 

 size, the easily noted differences being in color. They 

 are encountered in warm, sunny situations, along paths, 

 dusty roads and railroad tracks, where they fly up and 



