126 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. Ill 



LUDIUS CUPREUS (Fabricius) 



Figure 25, a, d, e, g, h 



Elater cupreus Fabricius, Species Insectorum, vol. i, p. 268, 1781. 



Ludius cupreus (Fabricius), Eschscholtz, in Thon's Entomologisches Archiv, 



vol. 2, p. 34, 1829. 

 Corymbites cupreus (Fabricius), Latreille, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, vol. 3, 



p. 150, 1834. — ScHENKLiNG, Coleopt. Cat. (ed. Junk), vol. 2, pt. 88, p. 359, 



1927. 



Preserved larvae of the typical cupreus and of its color form, aerugi- 

 nosus (Fabricius), w^ere examined. The two forms vi^ere found to be 

 indistinguishable. The larva of the typical cupreus has been described 

 by Xambeu (1895-1896, pp. 87-88; 1912, pp. 156-160) and by Rob- 

 erts (1922, pp. 321-323), and the aeruginosus larva by Beling (1883, 

 pp. 270-272) and by Saalas (1923a, pp. 125-128). 



Saalas (1923a, pp. 128-129) gives a detailed account of the dis- 

 tribution of both forms. These occur w^idely in temperate and central 

 Europe and are knovi^n from several points in Siberia. Only the 

 typical cupreus is recorded from Turkestan and Norway, and both are 

 absent from Denmark and Sweden. Both forms are known from 

 the low countries of Holland and Belgium, but Slater (1869, p. 276) 

 indicates that this species prefers higher altitudes, and Xambeu (1912, 

 p. 159) reports specimens occurring at 2,200 meters above sea level. 



Roberts (1922, p. 321) describes cupreus as a mountain-loving 

 species, common in higher-lying districts of Great Britain and Ireland 

 where the larvae are found in turf and under stones, aeruginosus gen- 

 erally being found along with the typical form. Beling (1883, p. 272) 

 reports aeruginosus larvae as occurring in forests, preferably in 

 sunny, dry places under moss, and frequently in association with the 

 larvae of Ludius aeneus and Limonius aeneoniger. Xambeu (1912- 

 1914) found cupreus larvae feeding on larval Aphodius. Roberts 

 (1922) observed them feeding, in captivity, upon the roots of various 

 plants and considers it probable that the species might cause minor 

 damage in Great Britain. Saalas (1923a) and Linnaniemi (1935) 

 report aeruginosus as an important pest of cereal crops in Finland, 

 where it is chiefly encountered in old grassland of clay or sandy 

 loam soils and only to a minor degree in marshy or very sandy soils. 

 Injury is most marked during the first 2 years after grassland has been 

 brought under cultivation. 



Because of individual variation, structural characters are not wholly 

 reliable for separating cupreus larvae from the very similar larvae of 

 pectinicornis and kendalli. However, a typical larva of cupreus may 



