FSYCHE. 



ON THE LIFE-IIISTORIES AND IMMATURE STAGES OF THREE 



EU^[OLPINI. 



RV STEPHKN ALFRED P'ORBES, NORMAL, ILLINOIS. 



[ With 



The three species to which this paper 

 is devoted {Coh'spis brimnea Fab., 

 Paria aterriiiia 01i\'., and Scelodcnta 

 piibesceHs Mels.),live underground in 

 the larval stage, and feed upon the roots 

 of the strawberry {Fragarla vesca L.). 

 The larvae of all three often occ\n' 

 in tlie same localities and situations ; 

 thcv are cxtremeh' similar in general 

 appearance, two of them [Paria and 

 Scelodotita) being, indeed, almost in- 

 distinguishable ; and their food-plants 

 and food-habits are identical. They have 

 consequently not been discriminated 

 heretofore, even where they have been 

 collected in considerable numbers and 

 studied with some care : and their 

 life-histories, as far as made out. liave 

 very naturally tallen into some confu- 

 sion. 



The following account is liased upon 

 almost continuous observaticm of one of 

 the species, upon breeding experiments 

 with all three, and upon numerous col- 

 lections of all. made from August 1882 

 to December 18S3, mostly in southern 

 Illinois, where all are abundant in 

 strawberry fields. 



COLASPIS BRUNNKA Fab. 



Literature. 



The first undoubted reference to an 



immature stage of this beetle, which I 



have found, is in the 3rd report of the 



state entomologist of Missouri (C. V. 



Plate /.] 



Riley), for 1871, p. S1-S4, in wliich the 

 larva is described and figured, and record 

 is made of the fact that it feeds upon 

 the roots of the strawberry. A brief 

 outline of its life-history is also given, 

 but in terms to show that it was not at 

 that time distinguished from the larva 

 of Scelodoiita. 



In his report as state entomologist for 

 the following vear, p. 34, Mr. Riley 

 again described this larva from numer- 

 ous specimens, antl figured the dorsal 

 and ventral aspects of the head, a sepa- 

 rate mandilile, and one of the ventral 

 segments. The description given of the 

 mandible and of the anal segments, and 

 the figiu'e of the firmer, do not apply 

 exactly to the larva of Colaspis^ and it 

 is possible that the specimens upon 

 wliicli this second description was based 

 belonged to one of the other species. 



In the American entomologist for 

 1880, V. 3. p. 243, Mr. Riley repeats 

 his origina 1 figures of the Colaspis larva ; 

 and this form has since been mentioned 

 frequently in various economic publica- 

 tions, but without any fui'ther additions 

 to our knowledge, eitlier of its characters 

 or of its histor}'. The pupa has remain- 

 ed hitherto unknmxn. 



Description . 



Larva. (PI. i, tigs. 7-8.) This spe- 

 cies is 3 to 4 mm. hmg 1>\' one-half that 

 width, white throughout, except the 



