The Four-lined Leaf-Bug. 229 



names since it was christened by Fabricius nearly a century ago. But 

 the law of priorty requires the recognition of the specific name Uneatus 

 (the Latin word for lined or striped) given by Fabricius. The genus 

 Poecilocapsus was established for the reception of this and allied species 

 in 1875 by a Swedish writer. The first part of the word Poecilo, is a 

 Greek word meaning many-colored or spotted; capsus is a Latin word 

 signifying wagon-body or an enclosure for animals. Thus the many- 

 colored or striped appearance of the insect is twice suggested in its 

 scientific name. The word capsus is without signification when applied 

 to these Leaf -bugs. 



Its popular name. — Most of our comrcon insects, and especially 

 those of economic importance, have received popular names. Various 

 things suggest these names, as the food-plant and the habits of the 

 insect, like the Squash Bug and Apple-tree Borer, or some peculiar 

 characteristic of the insect as the 15-spotted Lady-bird Beetle. Unfor- 

 tunately, however, the same insect may have several of these names, 

 depending upon the locality or the author who writes it. For instance 

 a certain insect is known in one locality as the Buffalo-bug or moth, 

 in another the Carpet-bug, and in still others the Russian -moth. 



The pest under discussion well illustrates this point. Dr. Fitch in 

 writing of it in New York in ISYO called it the Black-lined Plant-bug. 

 In 1891 Cook of Michigan named it the Yellow-lined Currant-bug.* 

 The Kour-striped Plant bug is the name applied to the 

 insect by LeBaron of Illinois in 1871. This name has also been 

 used by Saunders in Canada in 1872 and 1883, by Glover, United States 

 Entomologist, in 1876, by Weed of Ohio in 1888, and by Jack in 

 Massachusetts in 1890. Still another name, the one that has priority 

 over all the others, is the Four-lined Leaf -bug which was given to the 

 pest in 1869 by Walsh and Riley. Dr. Lintner has used this name in 

 all his writings on the pest in our State. Miss Murtfeldt of Missouri, 

 also used it in 1891. And it occurs in Professor Comstock's text-books 

 on entomology. The name comes from the number of stripes on the 

 insect, and from its being one of the Leaf -bugs. It is thus the most 

 appropriate popular name that has been proposed. It also has priority, 

 has been used by out State Entomologist, and will come into use through 



*This name is quite inappropriate as the general body color is yellowish and 

 the stripes black, besides what are designated as yellow stripes are almost 

 always in life of an apple green color, which usually changes to a lemon yel- 

 low several days after death. Again the pest is such a general feeder that it 

 may as appropriately be called the gooseberry, the dahlia, the sage, or the 

 mint-bug, etc. 



