light violet, except for brown or yellow markings. There are two 
recurved hooks on the ninth abdominal segment. 
Neichnea laticornis (Say) feeds on various species of bark 
beetles in the Middle Atlantic States. The adults are small, slen- 
der, and biack except for a spot on the head and the sides of the 
thorax, which are golden yellow. 
Many other clerids are also predaceous on various forest in- 
sects in the Eastern States. Priocera castenae Newm. feeds on 
bark beetles in conifers; Phlogistosternus dislocatus (Say) and 
Orthopleura damicornis (F.) feed on the larvae of borers and 
bark beetles in the twigs of hardwoods; Cregya oculata (Say) 
feeds on larvae of borers and bark beetles in both hardwoods and 
conifers. Knull (432) discussed the clerids occurring in Ohio. 
FAMILY DERMISTIDAE 
DERMESTID BEETLES 
Dermestid beetles are compact, oval to convex, and usually 
extremely hairy. Some are spotted with gray, brown, or orange 
hairs which rub off easily. The larvae are cylindrical and covered 
with long hairs. Some larvae are soft; others are hard-shelled. 
A few species are found under the bark of trees where they 
feed on dead insects. Some are troublesome pests in collections 
of insects or stuffed animals, on which they feed. The hide beetie, 
Dermestes maculatus DeGeer, and the larder beetle, D. lardarius 
L., have damaged cargoes of lumber in ship holds where hides 
were stored previously. In efforts to construct pupal chambers, 
D. maculatus has also been known to damage seriously the sur- 
face of lumber in warehouses. The majority of dermestids feed 
on skins, dried meats, furs, and carpets. 
FAMILY BUPRESTIDAE 
FLATHEADED BORERS 
The flatheaded borers include several destructive pests of for- 
est and shade trees. More than 150 species and varieties have 
been recorded east of the Mississippi River, many of which are 
discussed by Franklin and Lund (264). The larvae of all species 
are borers, and they feed in all parts of the tree. Some mine the 
leaves, and some construct tunnels in the inner bark and outer 
wood of the trunk, branches, and roots. The majority of species, 
however, excavate winding tunnels through sound and decaying 
sapwood. Many bark-boring species are capable of girdling and 
killing both healthy and injured trees. Wood-boring species are 
often highly destructive of recently felled sawlogs, often seriously 
reducing or destroying their uesfulness as lumber. 
Buprestid beetles are usually somewhat flattened or oval- 
shaped, and are beautifully marked or metallic-colored. The head 
is strongly deflexed and is inserted into the prothorax to the eyes. 
The antennae are serrate, 1l-jointed, and inserted on the front; 
the prosternum is prolonged behind and fits into the meso- 
sternum; the elytra usually cover the abdomen; and the first two 
of the abdominal sternites are fused. 
156 
