NO. II LARVAE OF THE ELATERID BEETLES GLEN 57 



sternum. Very close allies are found in the semivittatus group for 

 which very inadequate larval material is at hand. 



The larvae of the ediuardsi group are bright yellow. Caudal notch 

 large, broadly U-shaped or transversely ovate. Urogomphi short, 

 thick, with subequal prongs terminating in rather long, sharp, horny 

 tips giving appearance of grappling hooks; tip of outer prong curv- 

 ing backward and downward; no prominent tubercles on prongs. 

 Ninth abdominal segment with i to 3 small, blunt tubercles or "teeth" 

 on each lateral margin of dorsum ; 4 or more setae on central dorsal 

 area ; and distance between pleurite and caudal notch about one-tenth 

 to one-eighth of total length of segment, exclusive of urogomphi. 

 Nasale typically of i large median tooth with a small denticle on each 

 side of base, lateral denticles sometimes lacking. Frons truncate 

 posteriorly, extending to or almost to foramen magnum. One "sen- 

 sory" appendix on second segment of antenna. Eyes usually present, 

 but often small and inconspicuous. Basal segment of labial palpi with 

 I seta ventrally. Gula short and wide. Mandible somewhat concave 

 dorsally on distal half. Presternum of prothorax divided into 3 or 4 

 sclerites. Mesothorax and metathorax with indistinct impressions on 

 mediotergites ; and each episternum bearing spinelike setae varying in 

 number to a maxium of 5 ; mediotergites of second to eighth ab- 

 dominal segments with transverse branch of impressions extremely 

 short, almost wanting ; and with most conspicuous setae arranged in 

 pairs, each pair consisting of i short and i long seta. Pleurite on first 

 abdominal segment less than three-fourths as long as sternum. 



LUDIUS SEXUALIS Brown (?) 

 Figures 13, e; 16, d,f 

 Liidius sexualis Brown, Canadian Ent., vol. 67, pp. 7-8, 1935. 



Brown records this species from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Wy- 

 oming, and states that it is evidently closely allied to the Siberian 

 spretus (Mannerheim) and to the mountain-dwelling American 

 morulus LeConte. 



Larvae of sexualis have not been identified through rearing, but 

 larval specimens have been collected at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 

 the locality of the paratypes used by Brown in his description of 

 this species, and these larvae bear obvious resemblance to Masaitis' 

 (1931) figures and description of the larva of Liidius spretus (Man- 

 nerheim). Since there are no other unidentified larvae of Ludius oc- 

 curring in the Saskatoon district with which these specimens might be 

 confused, it is believed that their identity is quite reliably estabhshed. 



