568 
THE STUDY OF INSECTS. 
hardest wood. The larval state usually lasts two or three 
years. The pupa state is passed within the burrow made 
by the larva; frequently a chamber is made by partitioning 
off a section of the burrow with a plug of chips; but some¬ 
times the larva builds a ring of chips around itself just 
beneath the bark before changing to a pupa. The pupal 
state is comparatively short, lasting only a few days or weeks. 
This family comprises three subfamilies, which are sep¬ 
arated by Le Conte and Horn as follows: — 
A. Sides of the prothorax with a sharp margin, p. 568. 
PrIONINjE. 
AA. Prothorax not margined. 
B. Front tibiae not grooved; palpi never acute at tip. p. 569. 
CERAMBYCINiE. 
BB. Front tibiae obliquely grooved on the inner side; palpi with 
the last segment cylindrical and pointed, p. 572. LamiiNjE. 
Subfamily. Prionin^E (Pri-o-ni'nae). 
The Prionids {Pri -d nidi). 
The larger of the Long-horned Beetles constitute this 
subfamily. They are distinguished from other Cerambycids 
by having the sides of the prothorax prolonged outwards 
into a thin margin, which is more 
or less toothed. The wing-covers 
are usually leathery in appearance, 
and of a brownish or black color. 
The following are our best-known 
species:— 
The Broad-necked Prionus, Pri- 
onus laticollis (Pri-o'nus lat-i-col'- 
lis).—This is the largest of our 
common species; but the individ¬ 
uals vary from less than one inch 
f,g - 6 9** to two inches in length. It is of a 
pitchy-black color, and of the form shown in Figure 691. 
The antennae are twelve-jointed in both sexes. The larva 
