arth, ‘ie of as among the otis abundant of our Illinois insects, and 
a. also common, but too small to be noticed frequently by the 
Agonoderus pallipes, Fab. 
; (Plate IL, Fig. 3.) 
This oblong, pale brown beetle, with a blackish cloud on the back, 
a species of common notoriety (although it has never received an 
English name) because of its annoying abundance at lights in early 
spring. Hibernating as an adult, it leaves its winter quarters with the 
first warm sunny days, and flies abroad at night in countless myriads. 
Shortly afterwards the eggs are laid in the earth, and a new generation 
“comes forth abundantly in June and July. The adults themselves may 
be found, however, throughout the year. It is possible that more than 
one generation occurs in a season. We have noticed, in fact, a disagree- 
-able abundance of these beetles at lights on warm September evenings. 
The species ranges throughout all, or the greater part, of the United 
tates and Canada. 
It was first made known to me as injurious to seed corn in the 
ground by a note from Mr. Thomas Huber, of Illinois City, Rock Is- 
ae county, dated June 4, 1883, and accompanied by a specimen of the 
beetle “found in seed corn, buried in as kernel, eating the germ and 
part of the inside.” In Bulletin No. 12 of the U. 8. Department of 
Agriculture, Division of Entomology j 0. 44), Professor Riley reports 
F the receipt of this beetle during the summer of 1885, with the informa- 
3 tion that it was injuring young corn by gnawing into the seed and by 
: eating the sprouting roots. One of these observations was confirmed by 
P the sending of a specimen together with an injured grain. The exact 
amount of damage was not stated, but it was said to be quite extensive. 
Even before these observations I had myself detected this beetle injur- 
ps the roots of corn to some small extent;* a point determined by the 
issection of specimens taken in corn fi elds, among the roots. Nearly 
half the food of these dissected specimens, however, consisted of frag- 
ments of chinch bugs, and other insect remains. ‘The character and 
mount of this injury to corn have not heretofore been such as to call 
For protective treatment, but if the beetle should become sufficiently de- 
pe zuctive to make such measures profitable, it is likely that “a satisf actory 
remedy will be found in soaking all seed corn for a short time before 
“planting in some arsenical solution, such as Paris green or London pur- 
ple, in water. Such a course will not injure the germinative quality 
of the seed, and will probably result in the death of all beetles which 
attempt to gnaw the seed.’ 
This species was described by Fabricius in 1792}, but its economic 
record did not begin till 1882, when, in treating of ie food. relations of 
predaceous beetles in my “Twelfth Report of the State Entomologist” 
(p. 111), I discussed its food under the name of Ayonoderus comma. In 
‘May, 1883, I also treated the food of the species in an article on the 
“Pood Relations of the Carabide and Coccinellide. ”§ Professor Riley, 
*Twelfth Report State Entomologist of Illinois, p. 43. 
“- + Bulletin No. ms ob S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, p. 45. 
' $ Ent. Syst. 1., 29) 
ig § Bull. zB. Site ‘Law. Nat. Hist., Vol. I, No. 6 (1883), pp. 43, 50. 
