106 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 12 



As a general thing the species of the genus Melanophila have one 

 generation a year. Beetles emerging from the trees in the spring 

 and summer of one year lay eggs which hatch into larvge that live over 

 the winter and pupate and transform to beetles that emerge the spring 

 and summer of the next year. Sometimes, however, part of the larvae 

 of one generation will remain in the pupal cells for several years before 

 pupating and transforming to beetles. On June 13, 1915, Mr. F. B. 

 Herbert collected at Place rville, California, some M. gentilis prepupal 

 larvae which held over until March 24, 1917, before pupating and trans- 

 forming. This would be about three years in the larval stage. Fre- 

 quently some larvae are found in trees from which the main brood has 

 emerged a year or more. 



All of the species studied in the United States are barkborers. The 

 larvae mine in the inner bark and outer wood and pupate in cells in 

 either the bark or wood. The eggs are laid in the crevices of the bark 

 between the scales. The beetles usually feed on the bark or foliage 

 of the host trees but Ricksecker mentions (Entomologica Americana, 

 1885) having seen adult M. consputa devouring scorched termites. 



Except in one instance where the writer reared a specimen of M. 

 acuminata from the monterey cypress (Cupressacese) all of the Ameri- 

 can species of Melanophila appear to confine themselves to host plants 

 of the family. Pinaceae. 



The larval characters indicate that the genus should be divided into 

 two. The true Melanophila type of larva such as occurs in acuminata, 

 consputa, gentilis, drummondi, fulvoguttata, californica and pini- 

 edulis has characters which make it generically distinct from the 

 intrusa larva. In the first case the rugose areas on the plates of the 

 first thoracic segment are broad while in the larva of intrusa and aeneola 

 they form narrow borders along the grooves of the plates. 



At the present time the only method of fighting these insects in the 

 forests is to control them by burning the infested wood and bark be- 

 fore the adults emerge and attack new trees. Parasites and predators 

 commonly attack them, however, and as our knowledge of these 

 increases, and improved methods of forestry are put into practice, 

 Melanophila depredations should be prevented before they have to be 

 controlled. 



Melanophila miranda Lee. — Leconte gives Fort Union, New Mex- 

 ico, as the type locahty. Horn says that it occurs from Oregon to 

 Texas in the mountain regions. Considerable collecting has been done 

 in the forested areas of these regions by members of the Branch of 

 Forest Insect Investigations but no specimens have been taken. The 

 species is thus extremely rare or it does not infest the common forest 

 trees. 



