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Fam. Meloidae (Blister beetles) (PI. Y, Fig. 66") (किडा (Plहग, ळ, स स)
Distinct neck joining head to thorax, elytra loose on abdomen,
integument weak. Appendages to claws. L. 25 mm. or less, Colours blue,
brown, green or dull. Antennae long, simple. Eyes large. Head bent down.
An acrid oil cantharidin, irritant and of commercial value, exuded from
apices of femora. Masses of eggs laid in soil or grasses. Active larvae feed
on eggs of grass hoppers or larvae of Aculeate Hymenoptera. Adults
diurnal, herbivorous, feed on flowers, occasionally on leaves. One brood
in rainy season. About 2,000 species known, less than 100 in the Indian
region, a few in Maharashtra.
Z. pustulata. Black, wavy orange bands. L. 25-28 mm, On groundnut. M.
balteata. Orange, wavv black bands. L. 15-25 mm, on grourdnut and
grasses. G. rouxi. Yellow, elytra! tips rounded. L. 20-25 mm, A serious
pest on earheads of paddy-cereals. Lytta spp. Green otherwise like G.
rouxi. Epicauta sp. Red head, inverted V shaped mark on elytra I.. 10-11
mm. on paddy. C. setacea on cowpea flowers. (See Iyer and Guha—1931
—J. Ind. Inst. Scie. 14:A, 3:31).
Fam. Anthicidael Beetles of this family, resembling ants, living in large
numbers on the ground in herbage, grasses etc. are common but no record
of them seems to have been made so far. Fam. Elateridae (Click beetles)
(PI. V, Fig. 67). Striking beetles of small to medium size, brown, yellow or
brightly coloured. Antennae varied. Head embedded in strong thorax,
prothorax large, strong, hind corners produced, fitting well in elytra.
Produce clicking sound, falling upside down, by a process in ventral
surface. Larvae elongate, cylindrical, long upto 50 mm., mouth parts
biting, legs for active burrowing. Habits differ widely e.g. (a) Larvae
living in soil—wire worms—feed on vegetable matter, (b) larvae in wood
or bark feed on wood, and (c) some larvae in soil or wood predaceous on
other beetle grubs. About 7,000 species known, Indian not listed. Some
species commonly found in Maharashtra.
FAUNA 483