roughened areas located on the underside of the wings and on top of the abdomen; 
on the larvae, these roughened areas are on the third pair of legs that are very greatly 
reduced. 
Family Trogositidae 
Trogositid Beetles 
The family Trogositidae is made up of beetles formerly in the family Ostomidae. 
Species in several genera are important predators of some of the most destructive 
forest insects. These beetles are closely related to clerid beetles. Larvae of the two 
groups are very similar in appearance; however, most of the adults are different. 
Unlike the hairy bodies and contrasting colors of clerids, trogositid adults rarely 
have hairs and are entirely brown, blue, green, or black. Their bodies are usually 
flattened and elongate or oval. The terminal 3 segments of the 11-segmented 
antennae form a loose club. 
Temnochila virescens (F.) is one of the most important insect predators of the 
southern pine beetle. Adults are iridescent, bluish green, and 10 to 18 mm long. 
They feed on bark beetle adults on the surface of infested wood, though not as 
actively as do the clerids. Larvae are elongate and cylindrical with a sclerotized 
plate bearing a pair of unbranched recurved hooks. They burrow through bark 
beetle galleries as they prey on eggs and larvae of the host. 
Other predacious trogositids occurring in eastern forests and their insect hosts 
include: Tenebroides corticalis (Melsheimer)—bark beetles; 7. bimaculatus 
(Melsheimer)—Agrilus larvae in oaks; Corticotomus cylindricus (LeConte) and 
Airora cylindrica (Serville)—ambrosia beetles and cossonid weevils. 
Family Meloidae 
Blister Beetles 
Blister beetle adults are most commonly seen defoliating forest vegetation. 
Distinctive characteristics are: green, gray, brown, or black color; usually 8 to 18 
mm long; slender, soft-textured, and usually elongated body and elytra; sub- 
cylindrical; head and elytra wider than pronotum; head narrowed abruptly into a 
neck; often large and swollen abdomen; long legs; and cleft tarsal claws each with a 
lower appendage. The larvae of the genus Epicauta prey on grasshopper eggs, all 
others being predators in nests of wild bees. 
Species that defoliate seedlings in nurseries and ornamental plantings in the 
Midwest include: The threestriped blister beetle, Epicauta lemniscata (F.); the 
margined blister beetle, E. pestifera Werner; the ashgray blister beetle, £. 
fabricii (LeConte); Lytta aenea (Say); and Say blister beetle, L. sayi (LeConte). 
The caragana blister beetle, £. subg/abra (Fall), the Nuttall blister beetle, L. nut- 
talli Say, and the ashgray blister beetle defoliate caragana in the Great Plains; E. 
torsa (LeConte) defoliates Kentucky coffeetree, honeylocust, and mimosa in Flor- 
ida and Oklahoma. L. polita Say feeds on male strobili of shortleaf and pond pines 
in the South,consuming the pollen sacs of mature male flowers, leaving only the 
flower stalks or axes. The biology and control of seven common species are 
discussed (602) and plant host records of Meloidae associated with bees have been 
compiled (385). 
Family Nitidulidae 
Sap Beetles 
Sap beetles are usually oval, sometimes elongate and flattened, and 1.5 to 12 mm in 
length. They are usually black and often marked with red or yellow. Antennae are 
11-segmented, with a variable shaped but always 3-segmented club. Elytra are 
usually short and truncated at the apices, exposing the tip of the abdomen. The 
larvae are nearly white, subcylindrical, moderately elongate, and usually 7 to 12 
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