hind; and the hind tarsi are four-jointed. Adults are seldom seen 
but the larvae occur commonly under the bark or in the wood of 
dead logs, usually with wood-decaying fungi. 
Some of the more common species are: Melandrya striata Say— 
occurs in many different hardwoods in association with black 
lines of decay; Orchesia castanea Melsh.—occurs in oak, maple, 
tulip poplar, sycamore, and hickory; Hypulus concolor (LeC.)— 
occurs in rotting sapwood of pines; Serropalpus barbatus 
(Schall.) and Eustrophus tomentosus Say—occur in various coni- 
fers; and Dircacea quadrimaculata (Say) and Holostrophus bi- 
fasciatus (Say)—occur in various hardwoods. 
FAMILY OEKDEMERIDAE 
Adult members of this family are usually slender, flattish, and 
soft-bodied. Their color varies from pale to black, with red, yel- 
low, or orange markings, and they range in length from about 5 
to 25 mm. The elytra are rather soft and are sometimes covered 
with fine silken hair; the next-to-last segment of each leg is di- 
lated and bears a dense, hairy pad beneath; the middle coxae are 
very large; and the hind tarsi are four-jointed. Adults are usually 
seen on flowers or on old logs or stumps; the larvae feed in dead 
and rotting wood. 
The wharf borer, Nacerdes melanura (L.), the only economi- 
cally important member of the family, is widely distributed, oc- 
curring along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and around 
the Great Lakes. Adults are reddish-yellow and vary from 7 to 12 
mm. length in the males to 10 to 15 mm. in the females. There is 
a dark patch on the head and two dark patches on the thorax. The 
tips of the elytra are also black. The larvae feed almost entirely 
in very moist wood and occasionally are very destructive of pilings 
under wharves and under buildings near the water. Boardwalks 
along the shore and wood floors in damp basements are seriously 
damaged at times. Adults occur outdoors from April to July. 
Inside buildings they may be found during the winter. 
FAMILY TENEBRIONIDAE 
DARKLING BEETLES 
This is a large family of beetles, and many species occur in the 
forest. The adults are hard-shelled, usually dark brown or black 
in color, and many are clumsy and slow-moving. The larvae are 
long and slender, and are covered with tough, horny skins. The 
majority of forest species feed as scavengers on dead vegetable 
matter. They are commonly found under the bark of dead and 
dying or rotten trees or logs, and occasionally in the galleries of 
bark beetles. A few species in the genus Strongylium bore into 
the wood of living trees at stubs or wounds. 
FAMILY LYMEXYLONIDAE 
TIMBER BEETLES 
Timber beetles are slender and elongate; the head is deflexed 
and narrows behind the eyes to form a neck; the eyes are large; 
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