244 



INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OP CALIFORNIA. 



SACKEN'S HOPLIA 

 Hoplia sackenii Leconte 



Description. — The ground color of the beetles is a decided brown 

 with Light scales upon the dorsum, giving a grayish appearance. The 

 head and prothorax are bluish-black and covered with long, fine whitish 

 hair. The hair on the elytra is much shorter. The ventral surface is 

 metallic silver. The average length is | inch. 



Life History. — The life history is practically the same as for Hoplia 

 callipygt Lee. 



Distribution. — This species is only distributed throughout the high 

 Sierras, having been received by the writer from Siskiyou and Placer 

 counties and reported in the San Joaquin Valley, 149 and from San 

 Diego County. 1 "'" 



Food Plants. — The foliage of grape 149 is the only recorded food. 



Control. — Control measures are the same as for Hoplia callipyge Lee. 



THE CALIFORNIA LACHNOSTERNA 



Lachnosterna errans Leconte 151 



(Fig. 233) 



Description. — The beetle is rich dark brown above, yellowish-brown 



beneath and averages about ^ inch in length. The grub is yellowish- 

 white with brown head and 



black jaws, 

 fine brown 

 age length 

 the width { 

 mature and 



It is covered with 



hairs. The aver- 



is 1| inches and 



inch. Both the 



immature forms 



greatly resemble the June 

 beetle, Lachnosterna fusca 



(Fro.), of the Eastern States. 



Life History. -The life his- 

 tory of this species has never 

 been worked out, but is prob- 

 ably as follows : the insect 

 hibernates in the adult or 

 larval stage and adults ap- 

 pear early in the spring 

 (April and May), often 

 swarming in great numbers 

 around lights and feeding at 

 night upon the foliage of 

 trees, and hiding usually 

 underground during the day. 

 The females deposit their 



eggs in the spring, two or three inches under the surface of the soil. 



These hatch into the white grubs, which feed upon the roots of grasses 



'"Insect Life, VII, p. 368, 1895. 



l80 Pall, H. C, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sri., VIII, p. 139, 1901. 

 Lachnosterna fusca I Fro.) is reported as occurring very rarely in California. 



Fig. 233. — The California Lachnosterna, Lach- 

 nostt rim errans Lee. Adult and grubs, enlarged 

 one half. (Original) 



