270 
Beetles 
acterized by the possession of a pair of extended fleshy processes belonging 
to the maxilla, which are used in lapping up flower-nectar and pollen. Two 
common species in the East are C. pennsylvanicus, which is yellow with 
a black spot in the middle of the prothorax and one near the tip of each 
wing-cover, and C. marginatus, which has the head and lower part of the 
thighs orange. Telephorus is another common genus without the maxillary 
processes, the species being black with the prothorax partly or wholly reddish 
yellow. The larvae of T. bilineatus, the two-lined soldier-beetle, are velvety 
dark-brown active creatures which are very beneficial in orchards, devour¬ 
ing “immense numbers of such destructive beings as the larvae of the plum- 
cur culio.” 
Professor Comstock has given the name checkered beetles to the family 
Cleridae; a name apt enough for some of the species which, like the one 
shown in Fig. 372, have the body conspicuously marked with red and white 
or other colored “checks.” Other species, however, content themselves 
with a monochrome coat. The family is a fairly large one, over a hundred 
species being known in this country. “The adults are found on flowers 
and on the trunks of trees running about rapidly, somewhat resembling 
brightly colored ants. Indeed some are decidedly ant-like, the prothorax 
being narrower than the wing-covers and slightly narrower than the head. 
The legs of the Clerids are rather long, the antennae with a marked knob 
at the end, and the body more or less cylindrical, either hairy or not. 
“The larvae are usually carnivorous and are most frequently found 
in the burrows of wood-boring insects, chiefly of those that live in sap-wood; 
others are found in the nests of bees, and still others feed on dead animal 
matter.” The slender larvae possess short legs and a somewhat prominent 
and pointed head. They are extremely useful in keeping in' check such 
destructive beetles as bark-beetles and other borers. 
The species of Clerus are prettily marked and are often found running 
about on logs and trees. C. dubius is -J- inch long, steel-blue with three 
orange bands across the elytra; C. nigrifons is J inch long, tawny yellow 
with smoky markings above and all black below; C. nigripes is similar, 
but all red below; C. sanguineus has the thorax brown and elytra scarlet. 
The species of Trichodes (Fig. 372) are hairy and prettily banded; the larvae 
live in nests of bees, and T. apiarius is a pest in beehives in Europe. 
Necrobia violacea, | inch long or less, dark or greenish blue, is an importa¬ 
tion from Europe and is sometimes found in houses, but more commonly 
on carcasses and especially the bones of dead animals. It has been found 
under the wrappings of Egyptian mummies. Necrobia rufipes , the red- 
legged ham-beetle, a red-legged steel-blue species inch long, feeds on hams 
and other stored animal products. The beetles lay their eggs in May and 
June on exposed hams or other meats. The larvae hatch in a few days and 
