347 



for 1879 (p. 199) it is stated that " tLe adult beetles begin to issue in 

 August aud ou coutinually, making their exits until late in October. 

 There is probably only one brood in a season, and the insect hibernates 

 in the beetle state. An examination of many stalks (c)overj during the 

 winter failed to show the insect in any stage of growth." 



When reading this account I remembered having seen during the 

 preceding summer a female Languria mozardi ovipositing in a common 

 species of ragweed ( Imbrosia trlfida). A visit in the following ISTovem- 

 ber to the locality where this observation was made resulted in the dis- 

 covery of facts that throw new lighton the habits of these beetles. In the 

 ragweed stems were found some half dozen specimens of larvae, which,with 

 the aid of the description and figure given in the article above referred 

 to, 1 was enabled to identify as belonging to some species of the genus. 

 Of these larva? all but one agreed with the published description and 

 were afterward found to be L. mozardi. One specimen, however, was 

 larger than the others and differed in other respects from the descrip- 

 tion. This specimen transformed and proved to be L. gracilis Newm. 

 The larvai did not appear to be feeding on the fresh white pith, but 

 rather in the dead aud discolored pith. They have a habit of frequently 

 doubling up, assuming a shape that may be represented by an interro- 

 gation point : e-- . Possibly by thus doubling uj) they are enabled to 

 crawl up and down in the nearly hollow stems in which they live. Part 

 of the larvtTB were kept till April of the ensuing year, proving that they 

 hibernate in this as well as in the adult state. 



Can it be said of these beetles as of Cerambycidce and allied families 

 that they are single-brooded or double-brooded ? As is the case with 

 many other Olavicorns they breed the year round and there does not 

 appear to be a well-defined or limited number of broods. 



I have frequently observed these species in June and July on the 

 stems of a common nettle ( JJrtica dioica), L. mozardi occurring in greater 

 abundance, often in copula or busied in gnawing holes in the stems. 



To recapitulate, L. mozardi is known to breed in the stems of clover, 

 and specimens of larvai indistinguishable from that of L. mozardi as 

 described {I. c.) are mentioned by Prof. F. M. Webster (Rept. U. S. 

 Bept. Agr., 1886, p. 074) as infesting the stems of timothy. Both 

 species breed in Ambrosia, aud their occurrence under the circumstances 

 above recorded on Urtica is sufficient evidence that both breed in the 

 stems of this plant as well. The probable oviposition of mozardi in 

 Erigeron ramosus points to this as a likely food-plant, and the occur- 

 rence of the same species on the common ox-eye daisy {Chrysanthemum), 

 a near relative of Erigeron, would lead to the belief that another Com- 

 posite plant might be included in the list. 



The habits of the two species are very similar, if not identical, and 

 further investigation may show that they breed in the stems of a still 

 greater variety of plants. My observations tend to show that they 

 favor the Compositae. 



