. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. A Fig. 112.—Pria duUaiiiarae. Britain. A, Larva {after Perris) ; B, perfect Insect. the genera Meligcthes and Epicraea are among the most abundant of our beetles. Most of what is known as to the larvae is due to Perris ; several have been found living in flowers; that of Pria haunts the flower of Solanurii dulcamara at the junction of the stamens with the corolla; the larva of Meligethes aeneus sometimes occasions much loss by prevent- ing the formation of seed in cultivated Cruciferae, such as Eape. These floricolous larvae grow with great rapidity, a
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. A Fig. 112.—Pria duUaiiiarae. Britain. A, Larva {after Perris) ; B, perfect Insect. the genera Meligcthes and Epicraea are among the most abundant of our beetles. Most of what is known as to the larvae is due to Perris ; several have been found living in flowers; that of Pria haunts the flower of Solanurii dulcamara at the junction of the stamens with the corolla; the larva of Meligethes aeneus sometimes occasions much loss by prevent- ing the formation of seed in cultivated Cruciferae, such as Eape. These floricolous larvae grow with great rapidity, and then leave the flowers to pupate in the ground. The larva of Nitidula lives in carcases, though it is not very different from that of Pria. The larva of Soronia lives in fermenting sap, and has four hooks curv- ing upwards at the extremity of the body. The curious genus C'l/bocejjhalus consists of some very small, extremely convex Insects that live in flowers in Southern Europe; they have only four joints to the tarsi. The perfect Insects of the group Ipides are remarkable from having a stridulating organ on the front of the head. The classi- fication of the well-known genus Rhizopliagus has given rise to much discussion; although now usually placed in ISTitidulidae, we think it undoubtedly belongs to Cucujidae, Fam. 29, Trogositidae.—Differs from Nitidulidae in tJie struc- ture of the tarsi; these affear to Ije four- jointed, with the third joint similar in size and form to the iweceding; they are, houjcver, really five-jointed, an ex- tremely short hasal joint being present. Hind contiguous. The dub of each antenna is bilaterally asymmetric, and the sensitive surface is confined to certain parts of the joints. There are some 400 or 500 species of Trogositidae, but nearly all of them are exotic. The larvae (Fig. 113, A), are predaceous, destroying other larvae in large numbers, and it is pro- bable that the images do the same. The larva of Tenebroides (better kno
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
