350 
Psyche 
[Vol. 88 
were lying motionless in the loose material and showed a kind of 
“dormance posture”: the abdomen was bent over its back, with the 
legs and antennae folded tightly to the body. On warmer days, 
however, the beetles exhibited high locomotory and flight activity, 
and in the laboratory they showed a strong positive phototaxis. 
During this period we frequently observed beetles copulating in the 
laboratory nests. Toward the end of April the sexual behavior and 
flight activities ceased. In the laboratory as well as in the field the 
beetles were now active primarily during the night, while during the 
daytime they clustered under shelters near the Lasius fuliginosus 
nest. Only occasionally were we able to spot a beetle outside the 
shelters at daytime. 
Also near the end of April we found the first beetle eggs in the 
“garbage dumps” of the laboratory nest of L. fuliginosus , and by 
early May the first Pella larvae had hatched. The larvae developed 
quite rapidly, so that in mid-May we found the first pupae in the 
“garbage dumps” of the ant nests, even though larvae could still be 
found throughout the months of June and July. In June the 
mortality of adult beetles in our laboratory nest increased markedly 
and in late July and August the first young beetles eclosed from 
their pupae. These beetles, as well as those collected in the field in 
early August, exhibited strong positive phototaxis and high flight 
activity for a few days. After this short period, however, the beetles 
were primarily active at night and during the day they stayed in 
shelters. Finally, in October, the number of beetles found outside 
the ant nest declined markedly and by November no more beetles 
could be found outside the nest. In December we excavated to L. 
fuliginosus nests. In both nests we found several Pella beetles in 
“dormance position” covered by loose nest material of the peripher- 
al nest chambers and on the ground inside the nest tree trunk. 
Presumably these beetles were overwintering within the Lasius 
fuliginosus nest until their activity period would start again in early 
spring the coming year. 
From these observations we propose the following life cycle for 
Pella funesta : in early spring the adult beetles deposit eggs near the 
ants’ “garbage dump” area. The larvae develop in the “garbage 
dump”, pupate during the period from May to July and between 
July-August the adult beetles eclose. After eclosion the young 
beetles apparently migrate, as indicated by the short period of high 
diurnal locomotory and flight activity. After this period the beetles 
