4 BULLETIN 437, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is unknown, but possibly it may be auricular. Thrincopyge larvae 

 have a pair of brownish spots on the median subdorsal areas of the 

 second and third segments which appear to be secondary spiracles. 



AGREEMENT OF ADULT AND LARVAL CLASSIFICATIONS. 



The buprestid larval classification agrees very well in the grosser 

 features with that of the adults, except in the case of the genus 

 Antliaxia. In adult classification this genus is placed between Melan- 

 ophila and Clirysoboihris, but its larval characters and life history indi- 

 cate a much closer relation to Dicerca and its allies. 



The larval characters strongly indicate that the genus Buprestis 



should be split into three genera and the genus Melanophila into two 



genera. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 



The principal distinguishing character of the buprestid larva is the 

 occurrence of a well developed ambulatory plate (Pis. I-VT) on both 

 the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the first segment behind the head. 

 Both plates closely resemble one another. Similar plates occur on 

 some of the eucnemid larvae (PI. VII, figs. 1,3), but the markings 

 are different. The buprestids have a central fine, groove, or V on the 

 dorsal plate, while the eucnemids have two lateral lines. Cerambycid 

 larva? (PI. VII, fig. 2) never have the ventral plate as well developed 

 or similar to the dorsal. Cucujid larva? (PI. VII, fig. 4) are very flat, 

 but they can be distinguished from the buprestids at once because of 

 their well developed legs. 



Structurally there are two general types of buprestid larva?: One 

 (bark and wood borers) ''flat-headed," with a long slender subcy- 

 lindrical tail; the other (leaf -miners) flattened, rather oval, deeply 

 notched, and gradually tapering to the last segment. In the first 

 type, the first segment, taken with the second and third and some- 

 times the fourth, forms a broader, head-like division from the re- 

 mainder, which, taken together, forms the long subcylindrical tail. 

 In this type the first segment is much larger and broader than the 

 others, while the thirteenth is usually much smaller. In the second 

 type there is no distinct club head; the first and second segments 

 are only a little narrower or a little broader than the third and fourth 

 and the whole gradually tapers down to the thirteenth. 



Both types are distinguished by the following characters: Com- 

 paratively small head more or less retracted into the first segment of a 

 body composed of 13 fairly well defined, flattened segments; antenna? 

 medium-sized and three-jointed; ocelli wanting; labrum rather large, 

 arched and protruded; mandibles short, strong, usually toothed and 

 rather spoon-shaped; maxilla? well developed; maxillary palpi two- 

 jointed; labium well developed, arched, protruded; labial palpi 

 minute and unsegmented, almost obsolete; first segment with a 

 large, well-developed plate on both the ventral and the dorsal sur- 



