Abstract.The first data are presented on larvae, oviposition, and mating behaviour in the Eleticinae, the most primitive subfamily of Meloidae. Taxa studied include two African species ofElectica. Larval descriptions ofE.rubripennisandE.wahlbergiare presented, as well as observations of oviposition inE.rubripennisand of courtship leading to copulation inE.wahlbergi. The placement of eggs under bark and the absence of a triungulin larva in both species are unique for the family. They represent plesiotypic traits found in other groups of Tenebrionoidea.