INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OP CALIFORNIA. 



247 



Food Plants.— The foliage of various fruit, trees, including apple, 

 pear, peach, is devoured by the adults. 



Control. — This insect is not likely to do more than occasional dam- 

 age, when it may be controlled by the application of a poison spray. 



THE WHITE-LINED SCARAB^EID 



Polyphylla crinita Leconte 10 ' 1 

 (Figs. 236, 237) 



Description. — This beetle is familiar to nearly everyone, because of 

 its abundance, and may be easily recognized by the illustration, Fig. 

 236. The general color is rich brown. 

 The dorsum is covered with fine white 

 scales, which are thickly arranged in defi- 

 nite areas, so as to appear as white longi- 

 tudinal lines on the dorsum and as trans- 

 verse lines on the ventral surface of the 

 abdomen. The under surface of the head 

 and thorax and the bases of the legs are 

 thickly clothed with fine, long, brown 

 hairs. There are also quite long brown 

 hairs on the dorsum of the head and pro- 

 thorax. The length averages about 1 inch. 

 The grub is very large, cream or white 

 and clothed with reddish-brown hairs. It 

 attains a length of nearly 2 inches. 



Life History.— The life history of this 

 beetle is not well known, but probably 

 differs little from that of the California 

 Lachnosterna, Lachnosterna errans Lee. 

 The grubs occasionally attack the roots of 

 trees, especially in sandy places along the 

 margins of streams and the seashore. 



Nature of Work.— The normal work of the adults and grubs on 

 native plants has not been observed by the writer, but grubs were found 

 to entirely cut off the roots of young trees and to eat out small round 

 holes in the bark, as shown in Fig. 237. 



153 A closely allied species, Polyphylla decemlineata Say, greatly resembles this 

 beetle, but lacks the long hairs on the dorsum of the head and prothorax. It is com- 

 mon throughout the State and most abundant in the southern and eastern parts. 



Fig. 236. — The white-lined scara- 

 bseid, Polyphylla crinita Lee. Adult 

 male, enlarged twice. (Original) 



