Mode of Feeding of the Larva of Ctenicera aeripennis destructor (Brown) (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

Abstract

Though wireworms, the larvae of elaterid beetles, are among the most important agricultural pests, little is known about how they feed.Langenbuch (1932) and Subklew (1934) made observations on the feeding behaviour of Agriotes lineatus (L.) and A. obscurus (L.). According to Langenbuch, Agriotes spp. cause a brush-like fraying of cereal stems, which results from the way in which the larvae squeeze the stems with their mandibles, ingest the fluids, and leave the fibres intact. Ctenicera aeripennis destructor (Brown), the most important wireworm species in Western Canada, causes similar injury to cereal crops. The stems are attacked underground and are shredded but not cut off