104 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



FLAG I OD ERA VERS I COLOR A LAICH.— AX IMPORTED 

 POPLAR AND WILLOW PEST. 



BY HARRY B. WEISS AND EDGAR L. DICKERSON,* NE\V BRUNSWICK, N.l, 



Eor the past three years the writers have noticed this small, 

 metallic blue beetle infesting poplars in a nursery at Irvington, near 

 Newark, N.J., and since it was first noted at Irvington, it has been 

 observed in several other localities. Mr. Charles Schaeffer (Journal 

 N, Y. Ent. Soc, Dec, 1915) cites several collectors who found it on 

 Staten Island, and Mr. William T. Davis (Ent. News., Mar., 1916) 

 also records it from Staten Island; Mr. George Greene, of Phila- 

 delphia, states that he found it at Clifton, Passaic County, N.J., 

 in September, 1915, while the writers noted it in 1915 at Arlington, 

 N.J., and Elizabeth, N.J., as well as Irvington, (Can. Ent., March, 

 1916, and Ent. News, April, 1916). During the past season — 

 1916— it was also observed at Secaucus, Red Bank and South 

 Paterson. At the latter place the species was found very abundant 

 on willow. 



The insect is a European species, and according to Mr. E. A. 

 Schwarz, of Washington, was described by J. N. von Laichartig in 

 Verzeichniss und Beschreibung der Zyroles Insecten, 1781-1784, 

 under the name versicolora, which is an older name for the common 

 European P. armoricce of Fabricius. It is interesting to note in 

 passing that Fabricius (Syst. Ent., p. 103) records P. armoricce as 

 occurring on Ranunculus aquatilis and flammula, which looks as if 

 P. armoricce Fabr. might be a different species, unless perchance 

 the insects fed on willow near water and dropped on the Ranunculi 

 from which they Were collected. There is further synonymy in- 

 dicated in the various European records, but that need not be dis- 

 cussed here. 



In New Jersey the species has been noted by the wTiters in 

 greatest numbers at Irvington, in a nursery on poplar and at South 

 Paterson on willow, and the following observations were made at 

 these places, principally at the former. 



The beetles came from hibernation in late April or early May, 



and after feeding began oviposition in early May and continued 



through the greater part of that month. By early June the adults 



*The arrangement of the authors' names has no significance, and indicates 

 neither seniority nor precedence. 

 March, 1917 



