16 THE SUGAE-BEET WIKEWORM. 
those of other Elateridae. All of the posterior pau-, excepting the 
tarsi, are covered by the wing cases, which are curved around and 
ahnost meet on the ventral side, at the distal end of the third abdomi- 
nal segment. 
The abdomen is contracted sharply at the seventh segment, so 
that the eighth segment is only a little more than haK as wide as 
the anterior end of the seventh. 
The anal segment . bears two long, heavy spmes on its posterior 
angles. These spines are shghtly divergent, are pitted, and the 
distal half of each is brown, changing to black at the tip. 
The pupae vary greatly m size. Measurements taken from sev- 
eral individuals give an average length of 11.5 mm. and a width of 
3.6 mm. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
This wireworm is found quite generally throughout the western 
half of California. It is abundant in the lower sugar-beet lands of 
southern California.- The main districts affected by it are those of 
Ventura, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. These three districts 
comprise probably the choicest sugar-beet land in southern Cali- 
fornia. The station for the study of this insect was located in 
Compton, in Los Angeles County, about 10 miles from the coast, 
and surrounded by about 12,000 acres of sugar beets. 
Limonius californicus has been reported from the following 
places, all in California: Kiverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, 
Lake, Monterey, and El Dorado Counties, by Prof. H. C. Fall; near 
Owens Lake, collected by Dr. A. Fenyes; Marin County, specimens 
in the collection of the University of California; Orange, Ventura, and 
San Diego Counties. (See fig. 2.) 
Prof. A. L. Melander, entomologist of the Washington Agricultural 
Experiment Station, Pullman, Wash., reports that in the collection 
there they have a single specimen which was collected in eastern 
Washington. 
It is thus seen that this species is fairly well scattered along the 
western half of California. It is probably not of economic impor- 
tance outside this State. 
FOOD PLANTS. 
The larvae of Limonius californicus have been noted to feed on 
the following plants: 
Sugar beet. 
Wild beet (5e^asp.). 
Potato (Solamnn tuberosum). 
Lima bean (all varieties). 
Corn (all varieties). 
Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) . 
Dock {Rumex hymenosepalus) . 
Alfalfa (Medicago spp.). 
Pigweed {Amaranthus retrofiexus) . 
Chrysanthemum . 
Nettle (reported by H. M. Russell). 
Wild aster (reported by H. M. Kussell). 
Mustard {Brasdca niger). 
i 
