112 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 25 6 



Cactophagus spinolae var. rubroniger Fisher 



This dark red-brown beetle appears to replace the typical form at 

 Tehuacan in southern Puebla, Mexico. A few adults have been taken 

 in March and April, in late April large larvae and cocoons were 

 numerous, and in November larvae in various stages of development 

 were common. The larvae cause considerable damage, even complete 

 destruction, to large types of prickly pear such as Opuntia hyptiacantha 

 and cultivated 0. ficus-indica, and to the Cylindropuntias 0. tunicata 

 and Cereus. 



Cactophagus fahraei (Gyllenhal) 



A distinct species with dark-red prothorax and black elytra, each 

 with two orange markings; the elytra are densely punctate. It Is prev- 

 alent at Oaxaca in southern Mexico where the larvae are destructive 

 to Cereus and to large types of prickly pear, including Opuntia hyp- 

 tiacantha and cultivated plots of 0. ficus-indica. A few adults have been 

 collected in April and November; large larvae were very numerous 

 in the latter month. 



Cactophagus striatqforatus (Gyllenhal) 



This Central American species is wholly black with punctate elytra. 

 It was encountered in November and December 1927 attacking 

 prickly pear and Cereus at La Union in El Salvador, and Cereus and 

 Nopalea at Zacapa in Guatemala. Adults were rare, but larvae were 

 not uncommon. The habits appeared similar to those of the Mexican 

 forms. 



Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae 



DISONYCHA Chevrolat 

 Disonycha varicornis Horn 



This flea beetle, measures approximately 7 mm. in length; the head 

 and prothorax are yellow, the elytra blue. The distribution extends 

 from southern Texas to southern Arizona. The host plants are Cyl- 

 indropuntias; in Texas the "tasajillo" Opuntia leptocaulis is the usual 

 food plant, but in west Texas to Arizona 0. kleiniae, 0. imbricata, 

 0. davisii, 0. Julgida, and 0. versicolor have been recorded. On one 

 occasion, in March 1927, larvae were numerous and were causing 

 considerable damage to the very young growth of 0. lindheimeri in 



