﻿260 [April, 



suggests. When dry it is a thin hard dark-coloured scale, which finally curls up, 

 and falls off leaving the bark a little altered in appearance, but no doubt advanced 

 a stage in the process of decay. 



I know nothing of the oviposition of Abdera bifasciata ; but, throughout the 

 winter, the larva? may be found of various ages beneath the Corticium feeding on 

 those portions of it nearest the bark. Towards April and May they are full-fed and 

 each makes its way directly into the wood, usually for a short distance, though 

 sometimes for nearly half-an-inch, and then makes a little cell of its own length, 

 parallel with the fibres of the wood, in which it changes to pupa, the entrance to 

 the cell being protected by being stuffed with the sawdust removed in its formation. 

 The larva turns round with its head towards the opening before assuming the 

 pupal state. In emerging I think it usually has to enlarge this opening. The 

 perfect insect emerges in July. Though this is the usual habit of the larvae, it 

 often happens that the fungus begins to peel off before they are full-fed. I believe 

 this occurs only when the fungus is in its second year of existence. In this case 

 the larvae make their way into the superficial layers of the bai'k, in which they 

 seem to find sufficient nutriment, possibly part of the mycelium of the fungus, to 

 feed them to their full growth. 



The full-grown larva of Abdera bifasciata is 5 mill, in length; its general aspect is 

 much that of a longicorn, the second segment, into which the head oanbe retracted, 

 being the broadest, the head is oval, being rather longer than broad. The strong 

 jaws, seen from below, are gouge- or scoop-shaped, with a slight projection near the 

 apex, on the upper-side. The labrum is as long as the jaws, rounded, with a fringe 

 of fine hairs, and a transverse line near its edge which does not seem to indicate an 

 articulation. The maxillae have each a three-jointed palpus, and their inner angles 

 are produced into an organ of similar shape to the palpus, fringed with short setae 

 towards the extremity of its inner margin, and not appearing to be jointed to the 

 rest of the maxilla, the labium, difficult to observe between the maxillae, appears to 

 be a rounded plate divided into a basilar half which seems to be dotted with obsolete 

 hairs, and from the margin of which two three-jointed palpi appear to arise, of 

 which the large basilar joints at least are united to the anterior half of the labium, 

 almost entirely hiding it, and the terminal joint (bearing a minute seta) is so small 

 that its existence is doubtful : the antennae are four-jointed, the last joint bearing a 

 stiff bristle. Beside the last joint, and in front of it, is a rounded body, which is 

 either a separate joint or a process of the third joint (I have not satisfied myself on 

 this point). Behind each antenna, is a row of three blackish eye-spots, each 

 emarginate in front; centrally behind these is a fourth, and at a little distance 

 above this a fifth ; these two last are blackish circles, broadest in front. Near 

 these are several bristles ; the body consists of twelve segments, they are so trans- 

 parent that much of the internal anatomy can be seen, some of it being obscured by 

 regularly disposed masses of white fat. There are three pairs of four-jointed legs, 

 the last joint being a brownish claw. Each segment has laterally a stiff looking 

 hair, with two or three smaller ones ; the thirteenth segment having two larger 

 hairs and several smaller ones. There is a slight projection on the ventral surface 

 of this segment, hardly perhaps of sufficient size to be called an anal tubercle or 

 pro-leg. There are ten pairs of spiracles, of which the first is situated below the 

 line of the others at the anterior border of the third segment ; the second at the 



