MALACODERMIDiE. 
321 
females never attain to the winged form but remain as incompletely 
matured insects or are of the form of the males but with incompletely 
developed wings. The females of many species are unknown. 
Though these beetles are among the most abundant of Indian 
insects, little is known of their metamorphosis. They are themselves 
found in the moist warm parts of India in great abundance, in the drier 
parts of India in the rainy season only and less abundantly. The 
beetles are found during the day on plants, the brightly coloured ones 
openly, others in concealment, and they come out at night, only for a 
short time at a regular hour. Some are probably vegetable feeders, 
some predaceous, and their larvae are, in some cases, known to be pre¬ 
daceous on molluscs. One appears to have been reared in India ; the 
larva of Lamprophorus nepalensis is mentioned and figured :—(Ritsema. 
Tiydschr, Ent. XXXIY, p. CXIY, and Notes Leyden Mus. XIII, pi, 
X, 1891). 
In moist localities, as in the submontane forest areas, are found 
the peculiar flat larvae (Fig. 201) of the sub-family Lampyrinae. 
These insects are often over one inch long, the segments flattened, the 
notum forming a flat plate which covers the segment ; the head is con¬ 
cealed under the large pronotum and is protrusible, with small antennae, 
slender curved mandibles and inconspicuous mouth-parts. There are 
three pairs of short legs, and the ventral surface of each segment has a 
brush of short stiff hairs ; from the apex of the abdomen are protruded 
a bunch of soft slender filamentous processes which act as a sucker and 
give a firm hold on the soil. These are retractile and are normally com¬ 
pletely retracted into the rectum. On each side of the eighth abdominal 
segment is an oval white patch which becomes luminous at the will 
of the insect. The reduced spiracle occupies the middle of this patch, 
the remaining spiracles being larger. This luminosity is very striking, 
a bright greenish white light being emitted. The light is evidently 
under the control of the insect and can be quickly produced, though on 
the cessation of stimulus it fades only slowly. The luminous patches 
are on the ventral surface and though the overlapping dorsal plate is 
to a large extent transparent, the light is emitted principally upon the 
ground. These insects are nocturnal, are dependent upon moist condi¬ 
tions and feed upon snails. A large specimen required at least six 
small snails daily and with sufficient moisture and enough snails 
IIL 21 
