THE ENTOMOLOGY OF HELIANTHUS. 195 
Synchloe lacinia, Geyer. 
This polychroic Nymphalid takes the place of P. ismeria in 
southern New Mexico and adjacent northern Mexico, where the 
larve abound on sunflowers. A good account was given by 
W. H. Edwards in ‘Canadian Entomologist,’ Nov. 1898, pp. 
286-291. It chanced that Edwards had at the same time eggs 
and larve of P. ismeria (carlota) from Montana and Colorado. 
He found the eggs, and larve in first two stages, of the two 
species ‘‘in no way distinguishable.’ In later stages they are 
alike in shape and armature, but differ in coloration. However, 
the pupa of S. lacinia is closely like that of Melitea baroni, and 
is not like that of P. ismeria, which is typical of Phyciodes, like 
P. tharos. As to the differences in the colours of the larva, it 
will be seen from the above account that P.ismeria presents two 
varieties, and these nearly correspond to two varieties of 
S. lacinia. S. lacinia, interpreted in the broad sense as a 
variable species, goes south to Peru and Bolivia, but I have 
no information about its habits in those regions. 
DIPTERA. 
Tephritis finalis, Loew. 
This Trypetid, kindly determined for me by Mr. F. Knab, 
breeds in numbers in the heads of our red sunflower at Boulder, 
Colorado. The species is widely distributed, from Idaho and 
South Dakota, west to California, and south to Orizaba, Mexico. 
It might by some accident be introduced into Europe (e.g. 
Russia) and there become a formidable pest; precautions 
should be taken to prevent such an occurrence. 
Another Trypetid, Strauzia longipennis, Wied. (det. Knab), 
was found in Boulder on the sunflower plants, but it is not as 
yet known to feed upon them. 
CoLEOPTERA. 
Dectes alticola, Casey. 
In October, 1918, my wife found in a head of the red sun- 
flower a creamy white Coleopterous larva with large humps on 
the body. It was sent alive to the National Museum in 
Washington, and Mr. Craighead placed it in the stem of a 
chrysanthemum, and thus very cleverly succeeded in raising the 
adult, which was determined as D. spinosus, Say. Just about 
this time, however, Casey published his D. alticola, a segregate 
from D. spinosus, readily recognisable by the black humeral 
spots. The Boulder species, which I had earlier taken in the 
adult state (July 18th), is D. alticola. True D. spinosus is from 
the Eastern States, and Mr. Craighead very kindly sent me a 
pair of these, which he has bred from stems and roots of 
ragweed. 
