56 



BULLETIN 417, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Undoubtedly adults of this species fly, but this has not been posi- 

 tively proved. A few attempts to induce them to do so were made 

 in 1911, by tossing specimens in the air, but all the beetles dropped 

 heavily to the ground without spreading their wings. This same sort 

 of treatment of sycoplianta by the junior author resulted in the escape 

 of a few specimens, these skimming gracefully out of sight. 



FOOD CONSUMED BY ADULTS. 



The capacity for consumption of food by this species is much less 

 than that of the larger species, such as scrutator and sycophanta. 

 The feeding records of four pairs are given in Table 12. 



Table 12. — Feeding records of 4 pairs of Calosoma inquisitor, 1910. 



Pair 

 No. 



Emerged 

 from 

 hiber- 

 nation. 



Ceased 

 feeding. 



Fifth and sixth stage caterpillars. 



Noctua 



clandes- 



tina. 



Malaco- 

 soma 



amcri- 

 cana. 



Por- 

 thetria 

 dispar, 



Total. 



2706 

 2720 

 27211 

 2722 



May 24 



20,24 



17 



24 



July 7 

 19 





112 



68 

 124 

 61 



8 

 13 

 9 

 6 



120 

 81 



143 

 67 





19 

 13 



io" 







1 Female reproduced in June. 



The average number of large caterpillars consumed by each pair of 

 beetles in 1909 and 1911 was 50 per year, but this record is too low, as 

 the experiments were not started until about June 10. 



The records secured in 1910 (Table 12) were normal and were 

 kept consecutively from the date of emergence in the spring to the 

 date the beetles entered hibernation. Each pair destroyed on an aver- 

 age 103 large caterpillars of Malacosoma americana or Porihetria 

 dispar. 



REPRODUCTION. 



The first living adults of this species were imported from Europe in 

 1906, but the few attempts made at rearing the species at that time 

 were unsuccessful. 



June 7, 1909, many living specimens were received, and several 

 pairs were placed in battery jars for rearing and feeding records, but 

 no eggs were deposited during that year. In 1910 one female out of 

 13, of which close records were kept, oviposited, and this female was 

 received from Europe in 1909. Seventy-nine eggs were deposited be- 

 tween May 24 and June 10, 1910, which is the largest record for any 

 female of this species in a single year. 



One female of the importation of 1909 that did not reproduce that 

 year or the following deposited 23 fertile eggs between June 1 and 

 June 27, 1911, and died July 3. A few other females received in 1910 

 did not reproduce that year, but did so in 1911. 



After reading these notes one can perhaps appreciate the many 

 disappointments experienced in rearing predacious beetles. Fre- 

 quently there was no reproduction from females for two successive 

 years. 



