File:The natural history of beetles - illustrated by thirty-two plates, numerous wood-cuts, with memoir and portrait of Ray (1852) (14761316601).jpg

Identifier: naturalhistoryof01dunc (find matches)
Title: The natural history of beetles : illustrated by thirty-two plates, numerous wood-cuts, with memoir and portrait of Ray
Year: 1852 (1850s)
Authors: Duncan, James, 1804-1861 Jardine, William, Sir, 1800-1874 Lizars, W. H. (William Home), 1788-1859, engraver
Subjects: Ray, John, 1627-1705 Beetles
Publisher: Edinburgh : W.H. Lizars London : Henry G. Bohn
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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getables. The damage it occa-sions in this way is so considerable, that sometimesentire fields of corn are destroyed by it. The larvaof the fire-fly, we are informed by Humboldt, feedson the roots of the sugar-cane, and often proves verydestructive to that plant in the West Indian islands.Several insects of this family are remarkably distin-guished by the power of emitting a bright phospho-ric light, which renders them exceedingly beautifuland conspicuous objects among the dark foliage oftropical woods, and when the shades of night havefallen upon the forests. This luminous property,which has procured for them the name of fire-flies,they possess in common with several other coleop-terous species, named glow-worms, which belong toa different section, and therefore fall to be consider-ed in a subsequent part of the volume. Besidesthese two groups, there is another, still more re-markable, known under the English generic appel-lation of Lantern-flies. In these insects the seat of PLATE 7
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l.Fla/. 2 porcatus 3 line • sutlerulis.5 distinctii r COLEOPTEKOTTS INSECTS. 161 the luminous matter is an elongated projection fromthe head, in the form of a rostrum or snout, whichIs dilated in one of the species (Fulgora lanterna-rid) into a figure not unlike a mitre, and in othersis fantastically adorned with knobs and spines;through this organ the light is suffused in a lambenteffulgence of considerable brilliancy. These insects,however, belong to the order ITemiptera, and theirhistory does not fall within the scope of the presentnotice. The species of fire-fly that affords the finest exhi-bition of this interesting phenomenon, is named ELATER NOCTILUCUS. PLATE VII. Fig. 1.Pyroporus noctiluca, Dejean. It is upwards of an inch long, and one third of aninch broad. The colour is a uniform obscure blackishbrown, and the body is everywhere covered witha short light-brown pubescence. The thorax ispretty convex, and there are two small depressions(at least in one of the sexes) on the

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