56 
When young the larvee are of social habits, and huddle closely together, the 
heads all in the centre, surrounded by a ring of curled up tails, presenting a most 
curious appearance. When nearly full grown they separate and scatter over the 
plants, each one shifting for himself. The perfect insect measures about five- 
eighths of an inch in length. 
The species belonging to the genus Coptocycla are smaller than Physonota, 
and differ somewhat in some of their habits. The eggs are deposited singly on 
the leaves, and when the larvze moult, the cast skins are slipped into the forked 
part of the tail, whereas the larve of Pysonota leave their discarded garments 
sticking to the leaves. 
The golden tortoise beetle, Coptocycla aurichalcea, Fab. is very common on 
the Morning Glory, and often disfigures and injures it by eating holes in the 
leaves. They also attack the sweet potato. Prof. Riley states that they are often 
sufficiently numerous to destroy whole fields of this esculent, and they are especi- 
ally severe on the plants when freshly transplanted from the hotbed. When 
freshly emerged from chrysalis the beetles are of a dull orange color, but in a few 
days this tint changes to bright gold color, when they present a most beautiful 
appearance as they glisten in the sunshine. The larva resembles the beetle in 
general shape, being broad and flattened, but on each side there is a row of sixteen 
barbed spines; it is of a dark brown colour, with a pale shade upon the back. 
Prof. Riley says that it carries its falcifork directly over its back, and the excre- 
ment is arranged in a more or less regular trilobed pattern. 
The mottled tortoise beetle, Coptocycla guttata, Oliv.,is also common on, and 
injurious to, the morning glory and sweet potato. It varies considerably in 
colour, some specimens being very dark—almost black, others are mottled with 
black and gold, and occasionally examples are found altogether of the latter colour. 
The larva is green, bluish on the back. Prof. Riley states that it carries its dung 
im irregular broad masses, often branching out into long shreds and ramifications. 
Another species, the clubbed tortoise beetle, Coptocycla clavata, Oliv. is found 
on the true potato. It is given in the Society’s list of Canadian beetles, but so 
far as known to me, has not been found in the Province of Quebec. ; 
The “shell” of this species is thin and semitransparent, with patches of 
darker color, some of which extend to the margin of the wing-covers. I have 
seen no description of the larva. 
Chelymorpha argus, Licht., is of a dull, yellowish-red colour, ornamented with 
nineteen small black spots, six on the thorax and thirteen on the wing-covers. 
It measures about three-quarters of an inch in length. Packard states that “the 
larva differs from that of Coptocycla awrichalcea, not only in its greater size, but 
the body is thicker and narrower, the head is freer from the thorax, and the 
spines are simple, not spinulated. The body is yellow and less protected by the 
cast skin. When about to transform the larva attaches itself to the leaf by a 
silken thread, a few segments from the end where the end of the body of the 
future pupa is situated. It is .45 of an inch long. The pupa is broad and 
flattened, dark and spotted with yellow, and covered with a whitish powder, 
causing the yellow portions to appear more prominently ; along each side of the 
abdomen is a row of five spines, and there are four spines on the anterior edge of 
the prothorax; it is .40 of an inch in length.” He further states that he has 
found it in all its stages on the silk-weed late in July and early in August, and 
in one instance in Salem it occurred in abundance on the leaves of the raspberry. 
I have myself found it in all stages on the morning glory at Montreal some 
years ago, but have not met with it recently. 
