Larva of <I>Aphorista vittata</I>

OF WASHINGTON. 33

Messrs.

Lugger and Schwarz,

regarding ^the food-habits of

Bu-

prestidas, mainly discussing the question

whether

the _laryaB at- tack healthy ^trees or only such ^{as are} diseased or dying, and, further,

whether

they are able^{to live} andfinish their transforma- tions in dry

wood.

Mr. Smith

exhibited aspecimen ^of

Pleocoma Behrensi which

he had received from

Utah

_Territory. This _locality is interest- ing, since the species of^this genus have ^hitherto been recorded only from ^central California.

Mr. Smith

exhibited a careful

drawing

of the larva of

Apho-

rista _vittata, rrtade

from

_specimens found in October, ^near

Washington,

feeding

on

akind of snow-white

mould

on the un- der side ofa log.

He

_gave a description of thefull-grown larva ofthis

Endomychid

^beetle,*

drawing

particular attention to the peculiar ^lateral

appendages and

the peculiar structure of the^hairs.

Several theories

were advanced by

^the

members

_presentto ex- plain the nature

and

functionof thelateral

appendages

^{in this}

and

other Coleopterous ^larvae, representing several widely ^different families.

Dr. Riley spoke

on

the larval habits of Lixus. In 1872 he bred

Lixus macer from

the stems of

Chenopodium hybridum,

the larva boring

down

the axis of the stem, ^as usual,

and

the beetle issuingthrough ^{acircular holeinthe side}of the stem.

Mr.

F.

M. Webster had

bredthe

same

_species

from

Helianthus, ^the larva girdling thestemfrom withinatthe

upper

^{endof the}

burrow and

_plugging

up

the girdle with fibre.

The

beetle then issued

from

the cutend.

Another

_species,

Lixus par

^{cus,from Califor-}

nia,is also anomalous,^{the larva} producing ^agall

on

thestemsof

A m

^ela nch ier.

Dr. Riley^{also calledattentionto}the girdling habits ofPcedisca obfuscata Riley,

MS., ^which

also issues through ^the

amputated

end, butin thiscase the orifice isplugged

up

^{with a}

web

_spun

by

^{the larva.}

Mr. Schwarz

^exhibited _specimens ^ofan undescribed Calandrid beetle,

which

is interesting

on

accountof its food-habit, the larva

and imago

having been found

by Mr. Hubbard

insouthern Florida

*This description ^is published ^{in full in} Entomol. Amer., ii, No. _5, August, 1886,pp. 85-87.