Q PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL, MUSEUM vol.85 



According to the habits of this species, as described by M. J. Rivera, 

 the group must be somewhat similar to our American genus PJeocoma 

 LeConte in that the larvae of the former show up in the ground in 

 December, pass into the pupal stage around August, and emerge as 

 adults during the latter part of September or early in October. 

 The adult males emerge a few minutes after sunset and fly low over 

 the ground until coming upon a female either beside or in the 

 mouth of her burrow, whereupon the two copulate and retire im- 

 mediately into her quarters; those males that do not meet with mates 

 within half an hour or so after the flight begins retire into the first 

 hole they find and remain there until the following day at the same 

 hour. The evening flight is announced by a sudden loud humming 

 from the wings of many males, and half an hour later the insects 

 as suddenly disappear. The adults take no food, but soon after 

 reproduction occurs they die upon the surface of the ground. 



After fertilization the females fly to rich pasture lands, if such 

 are available, and lay their eggs in the soil. Wheat lands and irri- 

 gated fields are especially favorable to the insects; in places where 

 the soil is quite dry the larvae live at a depth of 20 centimeters or so, 

 but in moister soil they live nearer the surface, descending to 30 or 

 40 centimeters below the soil, however, when the time comes to 

 pupate. The damage the species does depends upon the consistency 

 of the soil, not 1 percent of the insects reaching the surface in some- 

 what solid soil, but in moderately loose soil 15 to 20 percent of the 

 adults may get through. 



The author is indebted to Dr. E. A. Chapin, of the United States 

 National Museum, for many courtesies in the preparation of these 

 notes, and also to Miss Phoebe Knappen, of the Biological Survey. 



The following generic diagnosis has been made as complete as 

 possible so that the individual specific differences may be noted in 

 as short a sj)ace as is feasible. 



Genus PHYTHOLAEMA Blanchard 



Phytholaema Bi^nchard, Catalogue de la collection eutomologique, vol. 1, 



p. 218, 1850. 

 Phytoloema F. Philippi, Anal. Univ. Chile, 1861, p. 735. — Van den Branden, 



Ann. Soc. Ent. Belgique, vol. 27, p. cxviii, 1883. — Germain, Anal. Univ. Chile, 



vol. 108, p. 987, 1901.— Arrow, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 11, p. 305, 



1903.— Rivera, Rev. Chilena Hist. Nat., vol. 8, p. 241, 1904. 

 Phytolacma Lacordaire, Geiiera des coleopteres . . ., vol. 3, p. 226, 1856.— 



Junk, Coleopterorum catalogus . . ., pt. 47, p. 91, 1912. 

 Ar(^oda Solier, m Gay's Historia fisica y politica de Chile . . ., Zoology, vol. 5, 



p. 92, 1851. — Redtenbacher, Reise der (3sterreichischen Fregatte No- 



vara . . .. Zoology, vol. 2, Coleoptera, p. 65, 1868. 



