THE OIL AND BUSTER BEETLES. L3JO 



six of these beetles close together near the margin of a wheat field. 

 One female had the abdomen partly buried in the soft, recently 

 ploughed earth, and on removing her I found a circular mass of 

 yellow eggs, 150 or more in number. Say states that «»« 

 I "not "uncommon and is sometimes gregarious in great numbers. 



2511 (S012). Meloe angusticollis Say, Journ. PM1, Acad. Nat. Scl., III. 

 1824, 280; ibid. II, 166. 

 Head and thorax dark blue; elytra and abdomen violaceous. J**£ 

 alutaceous finely, deeply and very sparsely punctured. Ihoiax one-halt 

 "r tlL had and nearly one-half longer tban wide; sparsely and 

 aeX punctate and, in male, with two smaU imp— -each stde of nod- 

 dle Elytra finely and shallowly rugose. Length 12-15 mm. 



Vigo County; scarce. September 18. The adults are said to 

 feed upon the leaves of the buttercup. This and the preceding spe- 

 Z are often confused in collections, and Wickham evident!, £ 

 the names transposed in his table of Canadian species. Say states 

 t both head and thorax of angusticolUs are "strikingly narrower 

 Han the body," while LcConte says that the thorax is nearly ^ 

 half longer than wide, both of which statements are true of this, but 

 not of americwnvs. 



Subfamily II. CANTHARINAE. 



In addition to characters given in the key, the species of this 

 sub family have the body much more slender and the elytra meeting 

 even y along the suture ; claws cleft to base, the upper portion some- 



i ""pectinate. Representatives of four of the five 

 tribes) and seven of the 24 genera, recognized by LeConte and 

 Horn, occur in the State. 



KEY TO INDIANA TRIBES OF CANTHARIN-fE. 



„ Front not prolonged beyond the base of antenna, labium small, scarce- 

 ly risible; elytra (in our species) dull red.^ ^ p ^ 



aa. Front prolonged ; frontal suture and lahrum distinct 

 6 Mandibles prolonged beyond the labrum. acute at tip. 



o. Elytra entire ; tarsal claws cleft _ ^ xemognathini, p. 1354. 



c , Elytra rudimentary, wings w---— , 1857 . 



M. Manxes not prolonged, obtuse; elytra ^W'fS* 

 not thickened toward the apex. lube II . Canthari. 



