THE YELLOW-NECKED FLEA-BEETLE. 
(Disonycha mellicollis Say.) 
By F. H. Carrrenpen, Sc. D., 
In Charge of Truck Crop and Stored Product Insect Investigations. 
[With report by H. O. Marsu, Agent and Expert.| 
INJURIOUS OCCURRENCE. 
Beginning with January, 1909, the yellow-necked flea-beetle (J)1s- 
onycha mellicollis Say), which appears to be particularly injurious the 
present year, began to attract attention in the South, being reported, 
by agents and others, on truck crops in Texas and Florida. January 
-26, Mr. D. K. McMillan stated that this species was common at Browns- 
ville, Tex., on spinach. He found only adults, although several pairs 
were in copula. He had also found adults resting under portulaca 
and amaranthus and on lettuce. At that time it had not proved 
very injurious, but was so much more abundant than in the previous 
year that it was surmised that the insect might become a pest. The 
following day we received the same species on beets, collected by Mr. 
H. M. Russell, at Boynton, Dade County, Fla. In this case both 
adults and eggs were obtained. The latter were deposited in masses 
of six, ten, and eleven on the underside of the leaves. January 29 
Mr. Roger S. Baldwin, Boynton, Fla., wrote that beets were being 
attacked by the spinach flea-beetle. The specimens sent in each 
case proved to be Disonycha mellicollis Say and not Disonycha 
ranthomelena Dalm. 
Writing about the yellow-necked flea-beetle, February 12, Mr. 
Baldwin stated that the adults were taken from table beets grown 
at Boynton, Fla., on black, wet, mucky soil. He expressed the opin- 
ion that these might represent a second generation, as all that were 
seen on the earlier beets were handpicked or treated with arsenate of 
lead in the form of a spray. The earlier beets were then entirely 
freed from the insects’ attack. Later, on March 6, Mr. McMillan 
found adults in considerable numbers on spinach and beets, the leaves 
of which showed holes made by the insects in feeding. No larve 
were observed at that time, but the adults were mating and a few 
eggs were found. 
In looking over earlier records the writer finds that in the summer 
of 1897 he first noticed this flea-beetle in numbers taking short jumps 
about the common purslane, Portulaca oleracea, at Glen Echo, Md. 
29 
