130 Journal New York Extomological Society. [^'°'- ^xix. 



Rhyssematus annectans Casey (Coleop.). 



This beetle which is distinguished from R. lincatiaoUis by its usu- 

 ally more narrow form but especially by its oblique thoracic strigae 

 was first thought to be identical with Uncaticollis but the two are 

 distinct as we have found by breeding them out. Annectans is re- 

 corded by Dury (Blatch. & Leng, Rhyn. N. E. Amer.. p. 484) as 

 abundant and eating out the heads of swamp milkweed (Asclepias 

 incarnata), May 24 and its distribution according to Blatchley and 

 Leng (loc. cit.) is Ohio. Indiana and Illinois. While not heretofore 

 recorded from New Jersey, we have found it to be a common spe- 

 cies occurring in numbers and breeding in the stems and seed pods 

 of Asclepias pulclira at Riverton, Monmouth Junction, New Bruns- 

 wick and several other places in the State. We have not found 

 annectans associated with any other milkweed except Asclepias 

 pulchra. 



In New Jersey, the adults appear during June and by the middle 

 of this month are in full evidence. Before and at this time feeding 

 takes place on the stems and terminal leaves. In addition the leaf 

 petiole and midrib are also attacked. In many cases, the stem is 

 riddled with circular feeding and egg laying punctures. The pres- 

 ence of many Ijeetles is readily detected by the wilted tops of the 

 plants, due to excessive injury. In time, the tissue around the stem 

 punctures becomes hard, corky and discolored. 



During the last ten days of June, eggs are deposited, these being 

 placed at the bottoms of channels eaten in the stems sometimes almost 

 to the pith, the openings of the channels being closed by whitish 

 scabs of tissue and plant juice, which eventually dry and fall off. 

 Eggs are deposited singly, mainly in the lower half of the stem, 

 jilthough all parts of the stem are utilized for this purpose except the 

 extreme tip. Both &gg and feeding punctures are similar on the 

 stem but egg punctures can be detected early by the scab-like cover- 

 ings. Later, both become hard, corky and discolored around the 

 edges. From two to ten eggs were found in stems eight inches in 

 length and later, the number of larvae in a stem varied from one to 

 tiine. Some stems were completely covered with tgg and' feeding 

 punctures, sixty being counted on a stem one foot high. 



By the last week of July many partly grown larvae are in evidence. 



