The Insect World: Being a Popular Account of the Orders of Insects

m THE INSECT WORLD.

little yellow ant, which takes as much care of it as of its own progeny, because the Claviger secretes a liquid very much appreciated by ants, who are continually occupied in licking its back.

Fig. 465. — Staphylinus maxillosus. Fi^. 466. — Staphylinus hirtus.

Fig. 467. — Pselaphus Heisii (magnified). Fig. 468. — Claviger foveolatus (magnified).

The DcrmestidcB attack by preference the tendons and the skins of carcases. A few of the insects of this family are the plague of

vfi our collections and the furriers. They devour a quantity of dry si; substances — skins, feathers, catgut, hair, objects made of tortoise-shell, \ the dried bodies of insects, &c. Some other Dermestidce feed on *i animal matter still fresh: such is the Bacon Beetle, Derviestes lar- \ darius (Fig. 469), which is to be met with in some dirty pork-shops.

P'ig. 469. — Bacon Beetle (Dennestes lardariux), magnified and natural size.

It is black, with the base of its elytra tawny and marked with three black spots. The larvae are covered with a russety hair; they eat bacon, skins, and also attack each other. The perfect insect does no damage. Like all the Dennesiidce, it counterfeits death when handled. The Dermestes vulpinus, of a tawny grey, injures furs; and the

Fig. 470.— Attagenus pcllio, magnified and natural size.

Hudson's Bay Company, whose storehouses in London were infested by this insect, offered a reward of;^2o,ooo for a means of destroying this insect. The furriers have also cause to dread the Attagenus ptllio (Fig. 470), whose larva, covered with yellowish hairs, has at its extremity a sort of broom, which assists it in moving.

The Aiithrenus imiscorum^ the fifteenth of an inch in length, black, with three grey bands, drives collectors to despair, for its larva destroys their collections. It is covered with grey and brownish hairs, which it bristles up the moment it is touched. The perfect insect

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476 feeds on flowers, and counterfeits death when seized. All possible means have been tried for getting rid of the Anthrenus by placing in the collection camphor, benzine, tobacco, sulphur^ &c., but benzine very soon destroys them. The Hydrophili, very different to the group which we shall presently consider, are herbivorous, and are to be found on the leaves of aquatic plants. The Hydrophilus piceus (Fig. 471), which

Fig. 471.— Hydrophilus piceus.

attains to an inch in length, is common in our fresh waters. It must not be seized without taking precautions, as its breast is provided with a strong point, which pierces the skin. It draws in air by thrusting its antennae out of the water, and placing them against its body, the bubbles of the air, which get involved in a sort of furrow, slip under the body, and fix themselves to the hair, in such a manner that the animal seems to be clothed in pearls. It is thus the air reaches the spiracles. The female of the Hydrophilus is sometimes seen clinging to aquatic plants, head downwards, forming her cocoon, terminated by a long pedicle, in which she places her eggs, by

COLEOPTRRA.

means of the two bristles situated at the extremity of the abdomen (Fig. 472). After having drawn this after her for some time, 47,7she leaves it to itself in calm water. At the end of a fortnight there come out from it little brown larvag, very active, which ascend the water plants. These larvae are at the same time herbivorous and carnivorous. They live on plants and small molluscs, which they seize from underneath, and whose shell they break by pressing them against their back, to extract from it the animal. If attacked, they emit a black liquid, which discolours the water, and enables them to escape. At the end of two months the larva comes out of the water,

E tiioai

Fig. 472.— Bristles at the extremity of tne ^'g' 473'~-I^'Jpa of the Hydrophilus. abdomen of the Hydrophilus.

and burrows into the ground to undergo its metamorphosis mto a pupa (Fig. 473), which becomes a perfect insect a month afterwards. Off-The latter gets its colour little by little, and comes out of the ground at the end of twelve days. According to M. Dumeril, the intestine of the larva grows gradually longer and longer, and its diet becomes that of herbs, the adult preferring vegetable food to animal matter. It is at the end of summer that the Hydrophilus picetis becomes perfect, and it passes the winter in a state of torpor at the bottom of the water. The females lay in the month of April. A small species. Hydrous caraboides, is commoner than the large one; its body is more rounded behind. We are now going to consider a series of aquatic and carnivorous insects; the Dytici, Water Beetles, the Cybisters, and the Gyrinidce,

or Whirligig Beetles. These are perfect corsairs, whose rapacity even exceeds that of many of the land Coleoptera. Not contented with devouring one another, when pressed by hunger, with attacking especially the larvae of all aquatic insects, such as the LibeliulcB and Ephemerce^ they feed also on molluscs, on tadpoles, and on small fish. It is easy to rear thern in captivity. If confined in a small aquarium,

Fig. 474. — Dyticus marginalLs, male and female, and front leg of male magnified.

their habits would be much more amusing than a few golden fish, which one meets with everywhere, and which their admirers can hardly consider as entertaining. Care must be taken to cover the aquarium at the top with gauze, to prevent the perfect insects from escaping. This tribe is not very numerous nor varied in its forms. An oval body, legs curved and widened into oars, provided with hairs, distinguish the insects which compose it. They imbibe air at the surface of the water. The most carnivorous of this group are the Dytici and the Cy bisters. They may be called the sharks of the insect world. Nothing which lives in the water is safe against the voracity of the Dyticus. They attack small molluscs, young fish, tadpoles, larvae of insects, and suck greedily the bits of raw meat which are thrown to them. They may be kept in an aquarium for many years by feeding them on animal matter. Their oval-shaped body, with its sharp sides, permits them to cut through the water with great ease — the hind legs serving as oars. They are to be found in stagnant waters

479 COLEOPTERA.

during the greatest part of the year, but principally in autumn. During the winter they bury themselves in the mud and under moss

Fig. 475. — Pupa and larva of Dyticus marginalis.

The females lay their eggs in the water. The larvae are long, swelling out at the middle, furnished with hairs, and grow rapidly. To

Fig. 476.— Dyticus latissimus. Fig- 477.~Cybister Roeselii.

undergo their metamorphosis into pupae they bury themselves in the earth. The perfect insects are amphibious, and fly from one pond to another to satisfy their voracious appetites. The mo.st common species of this genus is the Dyticus marginalis (Fig. 474), of a dark

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4^0 greenish brown, yellowish on the sides, The elytra of the male arc smooth; those of the female are fluted, The front leg of the male is provided with suckers. The larva is brown; the pupa of a dirty white. The Dyticus inarginalis sometimes attacks Hydrophilus piceus. It pierces it between the head and the thorax, that is, in the weak point of the cuirass, and devours it, in spite of its being the stronger. The largest of the Dytici, the Dyticus latissimiis (Fig. 476), is almost confined to the north of Europe. The Cybisters abound especially in warm countries. The Cybister Raselii (Fig. 477), a European species, has the reputation of having been taken in England. This group contains also a great number of insects more or less resembling the preceding in their conformation and habits. We will confine ourselves to figures (Figs. 478-493).

or

Fig. 478.— Acilius sulcatus (male). Fig. 479.— Acilius sulcatus (female).

Fig. 480. Fig. 481. Fig. 482.

Acilius fasciatus (male). Acilius fasciatus (female). Noterus crassicornis.

striatus.

Fig. 483— Colymbetes cinereus. Fig. 484.-Colymbetes notatus. Fig. 485.-Colymbetes

Fig. 486.— Haliplus fulvus. Fig. 487.~Hydroporus griseo-striatus.

Fig. 488. Fig. 490. Hydroporus confluens. bupnis cimicoides. l/accophilus variegatiis. 73

Fig. 493.

Fig. 492. l^accophuus minutus. Hydaticus grammicus. Pelobius Hernianni.

The GyrinidcE, which come very near to the Dyticidce, like clear water which is a little agitated. They are small black insects (Figs. 494, 495), living in troops, and swim rapidly, describing incessantly capricious circles, which has gained for them the name of w

Fig. 494.— Gyrinus natator. Fig. 495.— Larva of Gyiiaus natalor.

*' Whirligigs." They are remarkable for the disposition of their eyes, which are double; so that the Gyrinidce seem to have four eyes. The lower ones look into the water and watch for the prey or the fish that advances as an enemy; whilst the upper eyes look upwards towards the air, and warn the insect of the approach of enemies from abo\e. To escape from fish^ the Gyrinus jumps out of the water, and also

COLEOPTEkA. 48:

makes use of its wings; to escape from birds it dives rapidly. This activity, and this double sight, make the capture of the Gyrini a task of great difficulty. They must be caught with a net. At the moment of being seized they emit a milky foetid liquid.