50 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIX, No. 1 
host.” In order to observe the process 
of oviposition three adults, two females 
and a male, were placed in a small vial 
which contained a porous stopper. In 
this way oviposition was observed 
without much difficulty. The female, 
before inserting the egg, spends con¬ 
siderable time moving from place to 
place, with the ovipositor extended, 
to find a suitable opening. The ovi¬ 
positor 'is nearly as long as the 
body. It terminates in two slender, 
palpilike processes which are used to 
locate the desired opening. When such 
a place has been found the end of the 
body is placed close to the opening and 
the ovipositor is inserted into the cavity. 
THE EGG 
The egg (fig. 1, a ), in many respects, 
bears a rather striking resemblance to 
that of its host, Lyctus planicollis (fig. 
1, b). In fact, when seen in a pore in 
the wood, it might easily be mistaken 
for the latter. It (fig. 1, d) is elongate, 
cylindrical, rounded at the posterior 
end and drawn out into a slender 
strandlike process at the cephalic end. 
It is grayish-white’ in color, somewhat 
shiny, 0.85 mm. long without the 
strandlike process, or 1.2 mm. with this 
process included, and 0.123 mm. in 
width. The egg of Lyctus planicollis is 
slightly smaller, being 1 mm. long with 
Fig. 1.— Tarsostenus univittatus: a, Egg with newly formed embryo; c, greatly enlarged view of end of 
egg, showing granular appearance; d, outline of egg, showing strandlike attachment; e, part of egg, 
showing dorsal view of 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th abdominal segments of larva ready to hatch; f-k, larva 
hatching from egg, liberating first the caudal setae and then the abdominal segments; l, larva free from 
eggshell, and the empty shell. Lyctus planicollis: &, Egg with larva ready to hatch, drawn to same 
scale as a. 
After a short time, during which a 
pumping movement was noted in the 
ovipositor, the egg was inserted into 
the pore. In one instance seven 
minutes elapsed before the process of 
ovipositing was completed. Upon ex¬ 
amining the stopper three days later 
seven eggs were found. They were 
all inserted in the same cavity, side 
by side, probably for the simple reason 
that it was the most favorable place. 
It is quite likely that under natural 
•conditions from one to three eggs 
would be deposited in a pore, as is the 
case with Lyctus. 
the process (fig. 1, b). The process re¬ 
sembles that on the eggs of Lyctus 
planicollis , and of the bostrychids 
Scobicia declivis Lee. (#) and Xylobiops 
basilaris (Say). It has a granular ap¬ 
pearance (fig. 1, c) like that of Lyctus 
but differs from the latter by the 
absence of the longitudinal striae on 
the end which bears the process. As 
is the case with the above mentioned 
eggs which it resembles, the end bear¬ 
ing the strandlike process leaves the 
ovipositor last. 
After the egg is a few days old the 
formation of the larva within can be 
