FIELD BOOK OF INSECTS. 



except hind femora, reddish-yellow; pronotum obliquely 

 cut off at the front angles and with an angulation in front 

 of the middle. C. pulicaria is locally common and some- 

 times injurious to corn and millet. It is about the same 

 size; black, with faint greenish or bluish-bronzed lustre; 

 the base of antennae and tibias and tarsi yellowish; side of 

 pronotum regularly curved and the front angles not cut 

 off; head without punctures, but a row along the basal 

 margin of the pronotum. 



Only nifipes need be mentioned here. 

 Crepidodera . J . 



It is about .1 in. long; head, pronotum, and 



legs dull reddish-yellow ; elytra dark blue; there are no 

 punctures on the pronotum. On locust (Robinia'), and 

 sometimes injurious to grape, peach, apple, and other 

 fruit trees. 



Again we have two garden species. . 

 Epitrix . . , i i - 



cucumens is not over .08 in. long; shining 



black, with reddish-yellow antennae and legs, except the 

 hind femora. The pronotum is not densely punctate and 

 the impression in front of the base is well marked. It is 

 the Cucumber Flea-beetle but is not at all choice in its 

 food, eating also the leaves of potato and other plants. 

 In E. parvula the pronotum is rather closely punctate 

 and the impression is scarcely visible. It is about the 

 same size and dull reddish-yellow. The adults feed on 

 the leaves of potato, tomato, and egg-plant, but do their 

 greatest damage by eating holes in tobacco leaves. The 

 larvae feed on the roots of common weeds, such as the 

 nightshade and Jamestown weed. 



And, finally, we note this pair. S, 

 Systena hudsonias: length, .17 in.; shining black 



except for the yellow third to fifth anten- 

 nal joints. Common on many plants. S. taniata: length, 

 about the same; color variable, usually reddish-or 

 brownish-yellow, shining; each elytron with a paler, 

 median stripe ; narrow side-margins of pronotum and under 

 side of body usually black. Adults occur on various plants, 

 including cultivated ones. 



374 



