INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OF CALIFORNIA. 



241 



Distribution.— Large 

 County, April 14, 1914 

 missioner. H. C. Fall 

 records it from San 

 Diego County. 145 



Food Plants.— The 

 foliage of apricot and 

 plums was attacked 

 in Kern County. The 

 native hosts are un- 

 known. 



Control. — As the 

 attacks are of short 

 duration, usually one 

 application of a poi- 

 son spray when the 

 beetles appear will 

 suffice to save the foli- 

 age of the trees. Four 

 pounds of neutral arsen 



numbers of the beetles were collected in Kern 

 by K. S. Knowlton, county horticultural corn- 



Fig. 230. — The social scarabseid, Ccenonycha socialis 

 Horn. Enlarged twice. Specimens collected at Bakers- 

 field by K. S. Knowlton. (Original) 



ate of lead to fifty gallons of water may be used. 



THE GRAPEVINE HOPLIA 



Hoplia ealUpyge Leconte 146 



(Fig. 231) 



Description. — Tb e adults vary from ^ to § inch in length. The 

 ground color is light brown, though an occasional specimen is much 

 darker. On the dorsum are arranged, in mottled effect, light colored 

 scales, which are easily rubbed off. The ventral surface is covered with 

 beautiful silvery scales, showing many iridescent colors in bright light. 

 The whole body is covered with quite long fine white silky hair. The 

 eggs are pearly white. 



Life History. — The life history of this beetle has not been worked 

 out, but it probably resembles that of the other chafers. The glossy, 

 white eggs are laid in old pastures. The grubs feed upon the roots 

 and grow very slowly, requiring from one to two years to become full- 

 grown. They remain in the larval or pupal stage throughout the winter 

 and emerge as adult beetles early in the spring and attack many kinds 

 of vegetation. 



Distribution. — This beetle seems to be most abundant in the San 

 Joaquin Valley, and more particularly in the southern part. It is 

 also found in the southern part of the State. 



Food Plants. — The usual food appears to be the young buds and 

 older foliage of rose bushes, which often suffer greatly from the attacks. 



545 Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., VIII, p. 140, 1901. 

 :4,; Key to California species of Hoplia : 



a. Scales on the dorsum light or grayish b. 



Scales on the dorsum brightly colored dispar Lee. 



b. Hair short and stiff and longer on the dorsum of prothorax than mi the 



elytra c. 



Hair rather long and silky and of about the same length over tin- entire 

 dorsum cullipyge Lee. 



c. Hair on elytra exceedingly short and inconspicuous ; little or no hair on 



pygidium sackenii Lcc. 



Hair on elytra quite abundant ; thick long hair on pygidium pubicollis Lee. 



16—13664 



