THE BEETLES 



163 



insects, often checking their increase notice- 

 ably. Recently a very similar species, the 

 Asiatic ladybird, was imported from China to 

 prey upon the San Jose scale, but has not be- 

 come established in this country. Several very 

 small, black species of the genus Micron'cisea, 

 with their little black larvae, are also among 

 the most effective enemies of scale insects. 

 One of the most remarkable cases of the 

 utilization of a beneficial insect was the intro- 

 duction into California of the Australian lady- 

 bird (I'cdalia ccintiiiiilis), which in a few years 

 was able to almost entirely subdue the cottony 

 cushion-scale, which was destroying the orange 

 trees. Unfortunately, there are some sinners 

 among the ladybirds, for there are one or two 

 large, hemispherical, black-spotted, yellow spe- 

 cies of the genus Epilachna, which defoliate 



FIG. 2^9. Pupge of the cucumbers, melons, and beans. 



twice-stabbed ladybird- 

 beetle, in cast larval 

 skins 



IV. BEETLES WITH DIF- 

 FERENT-JOINTED TARSI 

 (HETEROMER. 1 ) 



The section Hctcrom- 

 era is distinguished by 

 having the front and mid- 

 dle feet with five tarsal 

 segments, while the hind 

 feet have but four ; hence 

 the name ' different- 

 jointed." A number of 

 small, obscure families 

 are included in this sec- 

 tion, only two being of 

 sufficient importance to 

 warrant consideration. 



d 



FIG. 240. Australian ladybird-beetle (Novins 

 carJinalis], the enemy of the white scale. 

 (Natural size) 



a, ladybird larvae feeding on adult female and egg sac ; 



, pupa ; c, adult ladybird ; d, orange twig, showing 



scales and ladybirds. (After Marlatt, United States 



Department of Agriculture) 



