INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OP CALIFORNIA. 27! > 



with dark brown heads and cervical shields, white anal segments 

 and white or yellowish tubercles arranged in transverse rows on the 

 dorsum. Each tubercle bears one or more short, stout spines. The 

 length varies from $ to \ inch. 



Life History.— The hibernating adults appear in the spring and 

 begin to deposit their eggs in clusters upon the undersides of the leaves 

 of the young beets or earlier upon the leaves of seed beets. The eggs 

 hatch in about a week and the larva? feed upon the leaves, becoming 

 fully grown in from one and one-half to two weeks. Pupation takes 

 place in the ground, within a few inches of the surface. Adults also 

 work upon the foliage and often congregate in such great numbers as 

 to do much damage. There are two broods a year. 



Nature of Work.— The larvae and adults eat holes in the foliage. 

 If occurring in large numbers, the leaves are completely skeletonized 

 and the plants shrivel and die. 



Distribution.— According to Dr. Van Dyke, this beetle occurs in the 

 maritime portions of the State, being generally found on the salt 

 marshes. 



Food Plants. — The foliage of sugar beets, Dondia americana, D. 

 depressa, Russian thistle and Atriplex argent ea are attacked. The 

 a triplex is the normal food plant. 



Control.— Liberal applications of poison sprays as recommended for 

 the potato flea-beetle {Epitrix cucumeris Harris) should be used to 

 control this beetle. A few scattering beets allowed to grow through the 

 winter act as trap crops and may be either heavily poisoned before 

 infestation, to kill the beetles as soon as they attack the foliage, or 

 they may be destroyed by burning in the early morning, together with 

 the beetles, if they do not all 

 escape in the operation. As 

 the attacks are rather spas- 

 modic, control measures are 

 seldom profitable or even 

 necessary. 



THE SMALL ELONGATED 



LEAF-BEETLE 



Myochrous longiilus Lecoute 



(Fig. 272) 



Description. — The beetles 

 are small, elongated, with 



hn'o-ht mM-Qllin T^nn™ Vmriioc Fi S- 272.— The small elongated leaf-beetle. 



uiignt metallic uionze uouieb, Myochrous longulus, Lee. Adults, enlarged three 



the backs of which are covered times. (Original) 



with fine, light scales, giving them a decided gray appearance. The 

 ventral surface, legs and antennae are light metallic bronze, covered 

 with short, light yellowish pubescence. The eyes are black. The head 

 is very small and' held directly beneath the front of the prothorax, the 

 lateral margins of which are' toothed. The length varies from T \ to 

 | inch. 



Life History. — The life history of this beetle is unknown, except that 

 during the early spring (April and May) the adults often appear in 

 great numbers and feed upon the foliage of cultivated and wild plants. 



