25 



Fig. 19. — Epicauta 2)f7!?»s)/?ra- 

 nica — enlarged (original, Di- 

 vision of Entomology). 



natural black of the bod}' shows, giving it the appearance of a gra}^ 

 insect finely dotted with black. It is more or less abundant from 

 Texas and New Mexico northward to South Dakota, and in California 

 and Oregon. It has been known as a beet pest since 1S75/' and was 

 reported verj- generally upon sugar beet, 

 potato, and clover in South Dakota in 1897.^ \ / 



In August, 1902, Mr. J. L. AVebb observed -^ \ / 

 numbers eating leaves of beet at Elmore. 

 S. Dak. 



THE BL.ACK BLISTER BEETLE. 



(Epicautd 2)ennsylvauica De G.) 



The black blisterlieenc (fig. 19) is a familiar 

 object to nearh' everj-one from its occurrence 

 on golden-rod, aster, and related wild plants, 

 while the farmer is quite too well acquainted 

 with it as an unwelcome visitor to his potato 

 patch and to various other vegetables. Flo- 

 rists know it under the name of "aster bug," 

 from the severe injuries which it does to asters and which they are 

 unable entirely to prevent. It is uniformlj- black, without polish, and 

 its length varies from a little more than a quarter to half an inch. It 



is well distributed in the region east of the 

 Rocky Mountains, and does most injury 

 between the Atlantic States and Texas. Its 

 time of appearance is more or less coinci- 

 dent with the blossoming of the golden-rod, 

 from June to October according to locality, 

 and as a rule it appears later than other 

 species. It is one of the worst insect ene- 

 mies of potato, beet, and aster, jind is also 

 destructive to carrots, beans, cabbage, corn, 

 mustard, clematis, zinnia, and other flower- 

 ing plants. 



THE ASH-GRAY BLISTER BEETLE. 



{Macrohasis nnicolor Kby. ) 



This is one of our commonest Eastern 

 species (fig. 20), and although most destructive to beans, peas, and 

 other leguminous plants, is also a serious enemy of beets, potato, 

 and tomato, and attacks besides sweet potato and some flowering 

 plants. '^ 



« Packard, U. S. Geol. Surv. for 1875, p. 731. 



^'D. A. Saunders, Bui. 57, So. Dak. Agl. Ex. Sta., p. 52. 



c Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agr. for 1898, pp. 249-250. 



Fig. 20. — 3Iacrobasis imicolor: fe- 

 male beetle~'at~rigBt, twice nat- 

 iiral size; male antenna at left, 

 greatly enlarged (author'.s illus- 

 tration, Division of Entomology). 



