116 



Insects most injurious to Cultivators ^ 



Without some such step as this, it would, of course, be absurd 

 to resow the ground with the same kind of grain. 



With the view of preventing those mistakes respecting the 

 identity of this insect, and by which it is confounded, not only 

 with others belonging to the same family, but even with insects 

 of totally different orders, it will be serviceable to accompany this 

 notice with more precise figures, both of the larva and perfect 

 insect, than have yet been given, as well as to give the sys- 

 tematic names and description of the latter, which are as fol- 

 lows : — 



Order, Coleoptera (Beetles), 



Family, Elateridae Leach and Stephens. (So named from the typical Linnaean 



genus E'later, which receives its name either from the Greek clater, a thing 



which beats like a pulse ; or the Latin elatiis, lifted up ; both of which titles 



are applicable to the group in question.) 

 Genus, Cataphagus Stephens (derived from the Greek word hataphago, to 



devour). Syn., Agriotes EschschoHz. 

 Species, Cataphagus lineatus Linncsus (so named from the brown lines down 



the elytra). Syn., E. segetis Bjerkander i E. striatus Fabricius. Fig. 9. 



d, natural size ; e, magnified. 



Perfect insect, " fuscous, with a griseous pubescence. Head 

 and thorax blackish ; the latter with the lateral margins nearly 

 straight, and the posterior angles very acute ; the disc very 

 convex and thickly punctate ; scutellum fuscous ; elytra broad, 

 a little attenuated, rounded at the apex, very convex, punc- 

 tate, striated ; the strias disposed in pairs, and united at the 

 apex ; griseous yellow, with the alternate narrowed interstices 

 fuscous or dusky. Margins and apex of the abdomen ferru- 

 ginous. Antennas and legs rufo-testaceous ; the femora some- 

 times dusky, rather variable in colour, being more or less 

 pubescent or testaceous." {Stei)hens, loc. cit., p. 250.) Length, 

 one third of an inch. 



In the ninth volume of the LinncEan Transactions is contained 

 a memoir, by Mr. Walford, on a larva supposed to be the wire- 

 worm, but belonging, certainly, to the family of the rove-beetles 



