rigAna 



VOL. V. 



BROOKLYN, DECEMBER, 1889. 



NO. 12. 



NOTES ON THE HABITS OF BUPRESTID^. 



By Frank H. Chittenden. 



In a list o( the Buprestiilaj of New England published in the 

 present volume of Entomologica Americana (p. 29) the author — jMr. 

 Frederick Blanchard — remaiks that many species noted as occurring on 

 the pitch pine {Pimis tigida) and at the same time as breeding in the 

 white pine {P. strobus) may breed indifferently in either. 



In my experience in collecting Coleoptera that infest these trees, I 

 have noticed that wliile some species evince a preference — e. g. the wee- 

 vil Pissodes s/rodi for Pintis strobus, or the longicoin Rhagiiun lineahwi 

 for P. rigidd — few, if any, are restricted to either tree, but in the event 

 of a scarcity of the favorite food plant, will attack other Conifeice. 



To the list of Buprestida; mentionetl in the article referred to, as in- 

 festing either P. rigida or P. strobus I add the following : Oialcophora 

 virginicnsis, breeding m P. rigida, Diccrca punctuiala, breeding in /-*. 

 rigida. and fiequtntiiig the trunk and loiiage of P. strobus, Biiprestis 

 striata, L)reeding in P. rigida, and Chrysoiothris jioricola. fiequenting /*. 

 strobus. 



Unless otherwise stated the following mentionetl species were col- 

 lected at Ithaca, N. Y., on the dates given. 



Chalcophora virginicnsis Drury, C. ti/.erta Germar, and C. fortis 

 Lee, appear during the tirst warm days of May, when they may be seen 

 on walls and fences or fl}ing in the noon-day sun. Of C. liberta I have 

 a specimen taken April 3rd, 1882, both liberta and virginiensis are 

 common in ]May and June, they occur also tlirougliout July, and have 

 been taken as late as August. Fiom what I have been able to learn, it 

 seems that these species disappear. {)ractically. at the end of July and 

 re appear in the following Fall. This would indicate that there are two 



ExrtiiioLdGiCA Americana. Vol. V. 1 December, 1889. 



