290 MANDIBULATA. — COLEOPTEIIA. 



ceous, slightly flexible: legs compressed, simple. Females apterous, with the 

 rudiments of elytra at the base of the abdomen. 



This genus, which forms the type of the family, is to be known 

 by having the antennae short, approximating, the eyes large, the 

 head, small, concealed beneath the anterior edge of the thorax, 

 which is semicircular, the body generally elongated and rather soft, 

 and during life the terminal segments luminous, hence called glow- 

 worms: the mandibles entire. 



The larvse closely resemble the perfect females; they are elon- 

 gate, depressed, composed of thirteen broad segments, the centre 

 thoracic one semicircular, gradually attenuated to the apex, and 

 each with the posterior angle coloured ; palpi and antennae short ; 

 mandibles strong : legs, six short, triarticulate, with a small claw 

 at the apex : — they feed upon small molluscous animals, especially 

 those of the genus Zonites De Montfort; and not upon leaves or 

 grass, as generally supposed. 



Sp. 1. noctiluca. JSlongata, supra fusca, thoracis limbo cinereo; femina aptera. 

 (Long. corp. 5 — 8 lin.) 



La. noctiluca. Linne. — Samouelle, pl.3.f. 1, S . f.%, ^.—Steph. Catal. 129. 

 No. 1313. 



Elongate, above fuscous : eyes black : thorax with the disc fuscescent, the mar- 

 gins throughout pale-cinereous : elytra with three elevated longitudinal lines, 

 the disc rather thickly and finely rugulose-punctate : body beneath pale-fus- 

 cous, with the terminal segments flavescent: legs and antennse f/uscous. 

 Female apterous: the abdomen entirely of an immaculate fuscous above, with 

 the apex paler ; the head and thorax as in the male. 



Larva similar to the female, but each segment of the abdomen and the angles 

 of the thorax with a triangular flavescent spot on the margin. 



This is the common and apparently the only indigenous species 

 of true glow-worm, the La splendidula having been erroneously 

 introduced into our Fauna : it is abundant in grassy places on heaths, 

 by the sides of woods and in lanes. " Rose Castle, Black-Hall- 



J Sp. 2. splendidula. Elongata, suprafusca, thorace antice lunulis duabus fenes- 



trato-pellucidis ; femina aptera. (Long. corp. 6 lin.) 

 La. splendidula. Linne. — Stewart (!) — Steph. Catal. 130. No. 1314. note. 

 Elongate, above fuscous, the thorax anteriorly, with two transparent glabrous 



lunules in front : female aptereous, varied with ashy- white. 

 Stewart introduces this insect into our Fauna, but without giving any authority 



for so doing : the example in the Marshaniian collection, considered as this 



species by Marfaham, is a mere dwarf variety of L. noctiluca. 



