304: REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



at tbe same work. The Asilid-flies have been justly styled the hawks 

 of the iusect world. They pounce upon many kinds of insects, and as 

 we shall presently see, are very fond of locusts. Their larval habits are 

 but imperfectly known, but so far as known they are said by most authors 

 to be vegetarian, Harris having reared tbe Silky Asilus (Asilus scriceus, 

 Say) from larvse feeding on the roots of rhubarb. The egg feeding habit 

 here recorded would show that the carnivorous habit of the mature 

 flies belongs likewise, in some species at least, to their larvae. 



Erax Bastardi. — Larva. — (See Fig. 35, c.) Length 1.05 inches. Only twelve joints, the 

 three anterior and the three posterior ones tapering gradually, the rest of equal width ; 

 sHghtly depressed ; translucent yellowish-white ; the chitinous covering tolerably firm, 

 however ; a swollen lateral ridge ; two rufous dorsal spiracles on joint I, and two similar 

 ones on joint 11. Head dark brown, very retractile, pointed, divided at tip into two 

 mandibulate points, and having two unguiibrm appendages; anal segment with two de- 

 pressed longitudinal lines above, ridged on anterior edge, and with a central depressed 

 line below. It makes use of its head in crawling. 



Pupa (Fig. 35, h). — Stout, honey-yellow ; the leg and wing-sheaths soldered together 

 though separated from the abdomen ; eyes large and dark ; head with two large brown 

 spines in front, and a lateral set of three rather smaller ones; thorax with two small 

 thin rounded dorsal projections, and a set of two small lateral spines just behind the 

 head; abdomen, with each segment ridg cl in the middle and furnished on this ridgo 

 with a ring of browu blunt thorns sloping backward; anal segment with a few rather 

 stouter spines. — \_Second Mo. Ent. Rep, 



Click-beetle Larvs. — We have discovered three distinct larvse of 

 this family preying upon the locust eggs. One of these (Fig. 36, a) is by far 

 ^_^ /?— ^-v t^^ most common, and was found with the same 

 habit on several occasions by Mr. A. N. Godfrey, 

 of Manhattan, Kans. These larvse are popularly 

 known as wire- worms, and there are many dif- 

 ferent species, some of which are well known to 

 be grievous pests to the farmer, by destroying 

 the roots of various cultivated plants. We have, 

 ^, .,, , however, long known that some species were 



riG.36.— a.Elateridlarvathat ' * * 



feeds on locust-egga; 6, head caruivorous,^^ and the egg- feeding habit of the 



Irom beneath ; c, anal joint 



from above; d, e, anal joints of three in Qucstion is Confirmatory evidence. We 



other species with the same ^ -i i ^ ^ xi j. 4.^ c u 



habit. (After Eiiey.) havc failed to rear any of them to the perfect 



state, and they do not accord with any described species that have been 

 determined.^^ Fig. 36, a, shows the more common species, with (6, c) its 

 head and anal joint; d^ e, the anal joints of the other two. 



Ichneumonid (?) Larva. — " Next to the Anthomyiaegg-parasiteiu im- 

 portance is a much larger, more sluggish, yellowish grub (Fig. 37, «), 

 measuring about half an inch when extended, which is found within or 

 beneath the locust eggs, lying in a cuived position, the body being bent 

 so that the head and tail nearly touch each other. It is a smooth grub, 



^8 Mr. Kiley has reared Hemirhipus fcscicidaris (Fabr.) from larvse prejinjc on those of Cyllene pfctus 

 (Drury) ; Elater luctuosus Lee. from larvae that fed on those of Dendroidcs canadensis J^atr., and Cucu- 

 jus clavipes, Fabr. He has also bred Melanotus comnMnis Gyll. from a Black oak badly infested -with 

 Ghrysobothris femorata. 



'^ The larva of Elater luctuosus is dark brown, with the anal ioint pnnctate, diminishing to a point, and 

 terminating in a sharp thorn. That whicl Fi^'ch considers Melanotus communis has three blunt denta- 

 tions and four longitudinal impiessions on the anal joint, somewhat as in Fig. 36, e. That which h,e be- 

 lieves to be Agriotes truncatus Mclsh. (the A. ohenus of Hairis, and described in fuU by Dr. G-. II. Horn 

 in Can. Ent. vol. iv, Fig. 4, as A mancus Say), has a smooth, rather pointed anal joint, with two con- 

 spicuous dorsal spots. That of Hemirhipus fascicularis is bread, with a narrow, upturned anal joint, 

 having a few rounded thorns atid two terminal sharper and larger ones. That of Ludius attenuatus 

 has a jjerfectly smooth and polished anal joint, 



