

89 
ELATERIDZE (CLICK BEETLES). 
Reference :—Stebbing. Inj. Ins. Ind. For., p. 4o. 
Classification :—Order, COLEOPTERA. Family, Elateride.. 
Description of Larve. 
1. Larva light reddish-brown in colour with a horny, shiny, 
chitinous external covering, flat in section, with 3 pairs of 
prolegs on the first three segments of the body. Length 1} 
inches. This Jarva is shown in Pl. VI, fig. 4. 
2. Larva brown in colour, hard, shining, with three ‘pairs of 
prolegs on first three segments of body. Length 4} anfinch, 
Only the larve of the above two insects have yet been 
obtained. 
Information at present known concerning these insects. 
1, One specimen of this “wire-worm,” as the grubs of 
elater beetles are called, was discovered feeding at the roots of 
an English chestnut plant (Castanea vesca) in a small plantation 
near Kathian in the Jaunsar division, North-West Himalayas. 
It was noticed that several of the young plants, which had 
been raised from seed sent out from home, were dying or 
dead, and the cause was attributed to bad planting in several 
cases. One young plant I dug up had its roots rather badly 
gnawed, patches of bark having been peeled off. Thiswire- 
worm, a large specimen, was found at the roots and was 
responsible for thej bad condition of the young plant. See 
Plaviguce4. 
2. The small wire-wornis above described were found 
in the patches of deodar seedlings in the Taranda forest already 
alluded to as being destroyed by the large Melolonthid larve. 
The elaters were not very abundant and their attack was 
distinguishable from that of the cockchafer grubs, since they 
only cut the roots beneath the surface of the soil. The young 
plant was seen to be dead or dying without any apparent cause 
