INSECTS AFKECTINC. PARK ANT) WOODLAND TRICES 46 I 



Prickly leptostylus 

 Leplostyliis aculi/criis Say 

 .Sni;ill worms simihir lo young apple l)orers, sometimes occur in multitudes under the 

 bark, l<irminy long, narrow, winding, gradually exjianding trai ks on the (uiter surl'at e of 



the U()<hI of apple ami maple trees. 



I his species was noticed l)y l)r I'itch in 1856, who is responNihlc for 

 the abo\e diaonosis. I \v stales thai the beetles appear the hist of Aiii^ust. 



Description. Ihe adult has been described b\ I )r 1 .iij^ij^er as a brown- 

 ish i,n'ay b(.:etle with " nunieroiis small, thornlike points upon the wintj 

 co\(_rs and a \ -shaped band niart;inetl with black a little i)ehind the middle 

 ot the e]\'tra. .Some well marked and fresh s|)ecimens are little beauties, 

 bein^r almost silverx' white with dark dots on the band alre-atly mentioned. 

 The insect measinvs a little more than '. inch in leni^th." Professor 

 W'iikham separates this form from its allies b\- the tubercles on the elytra, 

 each l)earin<.^r a])icall\, black scalelike hairs, in connection with the leeble 

 ami disi.ini ]>uncliu'in<.^ on the cKtra. the latter often inconspicuous or 

 concealetl. The le^s are not h<iir\ and the antennae are scarceK' lons^er 

 thiiji the bod\'. <-\en in the male, the third joint beiny considerabh' lon_t,rtT 

 than the foiu'th. New \ ork specimens are stout, i^ray-brownish with the 

 prothorax roughly tid)erculate. pubescent, with the pinn linH-s sparse and 

 irregularly placed. I he elytra ha\'e raised tubercles or ridges and are 

 ornamented with a gra\ish .tnd whitish pidx-scence, which tends to form 

 a |)ostmedian, lrans\trse band broadest at the suture, the pubescence 

 becoming tlarkc-r anteriorh ; li|) ilark. 



Food plants. I)r Hopkins reports it from West Virginia as infesting 

 dead and dying apple ami maple trttes, and Mr Hetitenmuller records it from 

 sweet gum. oak and osage orange. In addition to some ol the preceding. 

 Professor Wickham records it from s\camore. I)r Hopkins states that the 

 larvae inine the inner bark of d\ing and dead tulij) trees. 



Distribution. This sjiecies has been recorded from New \ Ork. .New 

 Jersey, District f)f Columbia. West X'irginia and Ohio, and probably occurs 

 over an extended portion of the northeastern I'nited States. 



