134 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. Ill 



brown) ; venter reddish yellow or brownish yellow. Mediotergites of 

 first 8 abdominal segments with moderately coarse punctures an- 

 teriorly, smoother posteriorly, thus resembling the typical sclupture 

 of cupreus larvae. Ninth abdominal segment with sharp, elevated 

 sides each bearing 3 short, sharp teeth of which the 2 most anterior 

 are closer together and the middle tooth usually largest. Urogomphi 

 bifid. Outer prongs pointed, directed upward and curving forward. 

 Inner prongs broader, one-half (or less) as long as outer prongs, 

 projecting toward each other. Caudal notch elliptical, longer than 

 wide, posterior opening about one-third greatest width of sector. 



LUDIUS KENDALLI (Kirby) 



Figure 14, g 



Ctenicerus kendalli Kirby, in Richardson's Fauna Boreali-Americana, vol. 4, 



p. 149, 1837. 

 Elater anchorago Randall, Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., vol. 2, p. 5, 1838. 

 Ludius inrens of American authors, nee Schrank. 

 Ludius kendalli (Kirby), Brown, Canadian Ent., vol. 71, p. 44, 1939- 



Ludius kendalli is the only North American species belonging to 

 the cupreus group. Larvae have been identified through rearing of 

 both the typical form and an unnamed color form, the adult of 

 which has the elytra entirely purplish. 



According to Brown (1939, p. 44) the range of this species "is 

 transcontinental, and extends from the northern limits of the sub- 

 arctic forests south to Maine, the Lake Superior region, the prairies, 

 and central British Columbia." Larvae have been collected in the 

 north-central parklands of Saskatchewan, the typical and the darker 

 forms occurring together. The larvae live in the soil and are most 

 abundant in native grassy areas bearing a growth of young willow. 

 This species causes severe injury to garden and field crops for about 

 3 years after such areas are brought under cultivation. The species 

 has not been taken from the open prairie regions of the Prairie 

 Provinces. 



In structure, kendalli is very similar to the larvae of cupreus and 

 pectinicornis ; hence identification is much more readily achieved on 

 the basis of distribution. 



Full-grown larvae measure up to 28 mm. in length and 3.75 mm. 

 in greatest width. In the typical kendalli, the dorsum is usually 

 yellowish brown, somewhat paler than in most cupreus larvae ; in 

 the unnamed color form the dorsum is darker, being similar in color 

 to most cupreus. As in pectinicornis, the m.ediotergites of the first 8 



