A Description of the Larva of Agriotes mancus (Say), with a Key Separating the Larvae of A. lineatus (L.), A. mancus, A. obscurus (L.), and A. sputator (L.) from Nova Scotia

Abstract

In Europe, extensive work on wireworms has revealed taxonomic problems in the genus Agriotes. Since the investigations of Roberts (1922) after the First World War it has been possible for both field men and taxonomists to identify the larvae of A. sputator (L.), but the problem of separating A. obscurus (L.) and A. lineatus (L.) has persisted through all subsequent work. The European literature on Agriotes larvae deals extensively with the latter problem (Beling, 1883-84; Ford, 1916; Guéniat, 1934; Henriksen, 1911-12; Horst, 1922; Korschefsky, 1941; Mesnil, 1930; Rambousek, 1928; Schaerfienberg, 1943; Subklew, 1934; and Znamenskij, 1927), but none of the authors expresses satisfaction with the characters found.