April, '11] osborn: stictocephala injuries 139 



The life history of this species has not been followed in detail and 

 as a general thing the form which appears in collections is the adult, 

 and the occurrence of this form is apparently distributed pretty 

 well through the season. However, there is sufficient evidence to 

 indicate that the larvae develop rather rapidly during the summer, 

 and that they may occur on various plants, perhaps especially upon 

 the legumes, within the range of their distribution. 



It would seem from the information so far acquired that this spe- 

 cies has under natural conditions, lived upon some of the native le- 

 guminous plants, and since the general introduction of alfalfa as a 

 cultivated crop that it has acquired a taste for this food plant. This 

 being the case there is considerable reason to assume that it will 

 multiply and adapt itself still more perfectly to this food plant, so 

 that it may become a very distinct pest throughout the region in which 

 alfalfa is now a very important crop. So far the species has not been 

 studied sufficiently to suggest any very definite means of control. 

 In case the eggs are deposited in the stems of the alfalfa, a proper 

 timing for the cutting of the crop and the consequent destruction of 

 the eggs would appear to be a very feasible method of control. This 

 would seem to be a very essential point for determination and one 

 which should be easily determined in the localities where the species 

 is of especial consequence. 



Another species which is of very general distribution is Stictocephala 

 inermis, which has been taken throughout a considerable range of 

 the northern part of the United States, and which seems to occur 

 under somewhat similar conditions as festina. There is so far not 

 as definite a mass of evidence with regard to its occurrence on a par- 

 ticular crop, but it quite certainly is able to feed upon alfalfa and 

 clover, and very probably may become very important to this crop. 



Another species of wide extent and distribution in the northeastern 

 part of the United States is Stictocephala lutea. This species appar- 

 ently has a rather general distribution in food habit, being taken from a 

 considerable variety of plants, and so far it seems impossible to assign 

 it to any one as a favorite. It is, however, a quite abundant species, 

 being found in swarms in some instances in very small areas, and in 

 such cases must be a sufficient menace to be worthy of investigation. 

 The range of this species seems to fit fairly well to the distribution 

 of festina, being common from Georgia northward through the North- 

 ern States to Canada, its southern boundary agreeing in a some- 

 what general way with the northern boundary of festina in the eastern 

 part of its range. 



Other species of the genus are found in Southern, Southwestern 

 Pacific States, but so far, they have been observed only in limited and 

 numbers. 



