THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



243 



editor of the Country Ge?itleman, Mr. J. J. 

 Thomas, of Union Springs, N. Y., with the 

 following remarks: "The smaller [speci- 

 mens] are sent from Barre, Mass., and are 

 said to be destructive to strawberry plants, 

 eating the leaves and doing great damage. 

 They are said to be shy, and hide close to 

 the plant." The larval habits and transfor- 

 mations of the species remained unknown, 

 however, until Prof. Cook discovered them. 

 From his account it appears that they do 

 not materially differ from those of the 

 Grapevine Colaspis [Colaspis flavida Say), 

 of which we gave an account in 1870* or 

 from that of the Striped Cucumber-beetle, 

 which we treated of in 1867. f The insect 

 lives in the larva state underground, feed- 

 ing on the rootlets of the plant it attacks ; 

 there it transforms to pupa and perfect 

 beetle, in which last state it continues its 



[Fig. 121.] 



Larva of Colaspis 



ravages by feeding 

 on the leaves of the 

 plant. The larva of 

 Xh-tColaspis^dL^ stated 

 by us (I.e.), feeds al- 

 so on the rootlets of 

 the Strawberry, and 

 might, therefore, be 

 often mistaken for 

 'CixtParia. The for- 

 mer larva is anoma- 

 lous in having a se- 

 ries of fleshy ven- 

 tral projections (see 

 Fig. 121), and as the insects are related by 

 subfamily characters, we quote Prof. Cook's 

 description of that of the Paria : 



" The larva is white, with yellowish head and 

 brown jaws. There are eleven segments back of 

 the head. The breathing mouths show plainly 

 along the side of the body. There is only one 

 pair wanting, those on the first thoracic ring. 

 The pair on the second ring are very large. 

 There are rows of hairs e.xtending transversely 

 one to each ring, but few hairs to each row on 

 the side of each ring. About each stoma[ta] 

 there seems to arise a tuft of hairs. The usual 

 three pairs of thoracic jointed legs are plainly 

 visible. The length is si mm (.22 in.)" 



It would seem to be easily distinguished 

 from the Colaspis larva, therefore, by the 

 want of the projections, though we are con- 



* 3d Mo. Ent. Report, pp. 81-84. 

 t 2d Mo. Ent. Report, pp. 64-66, 



fident that the above quoted description 

 would mislead, since a larva with but 1 1 

 joints, besides the head, and 8 pairs of 

 spiracles, would upset the unity of struc- 

 ture in the Family and Order to which it 

 belongs. The body will be found to con- 

 sist of 12 (not it) joints and a subjoint, 

 besides the head, and to have the normal 

 9 pairs of spiracles — the first or largest 

 pair probably in a fold between the pro 

 and meso-thoracic joints ; for when the 

 number varies at all in Coleopterous larvae 

 (which is very rarely), it is by the addition 

 rather than the reduction of a pair. 



We quote the concluding portion of the 

 article : 



" In a small spherical cocoon of earth we find 

 the pupa. It is also white, shorter than the larva, 

 only 4 mm. in length. * * * 



"The little beetle is only 3 mm. (^ in.) long. 

 The head, antenna;, legs, and wingcases are yel- 

 lowish, the thorax brown, and the under side of 

 the body black. The center of the thorax is 

 clouded with black, and generall)^ each wing-cover 

 is )'ellowish, dotted with two black spots. The 

 posterior spot is much the larger. In about one 

 beetle in six I found them all black. In a few 

 cases the black beetles were tinged with yellow 

 at the tip of the body. * * * 



"These beetles, like all of their family, are 

 voracious feeders, and though small, are so 

 numerous that in early spring and after harvest 

 they completely defoliate the strawberry plants. 

 They have done this at Mr. Ezra Jones', and, as 

 I understand from him, in the strawberry planta- 

 tion of a Mr. Gardner of Dimondale, from whom 

 Mr. Jones procured some plants and from whose 

 place he thinks he brought the pest. 



"The larvae appear to eat the young, tender 

 roots, and in this to differ from others of the leaf- 

 eating beetles. As these larva; as well as the 

 pupae are in the earth about the roots of the plants, 

 we see that their importation with affected plants 

 would be very easy, and could only be avoided 

 with certainty by having the roots of the plants 

 thoroughly washed before setting. 



" I feel certain that either Paris green or Lon- 

 don purple would certainly destroy the beetles 

 if applied to the plants as we apply them to 

 destroy the potato beetle or canker-worm. In the 

 use of Paris green, caution is necessary that the 

 article may be genuine. When I hear that the 

 potato beetle, rose chafer, etc., grow fat on this 

 poison, I feel sure that the poison is not there, 

 but that some spurious compound is colored and 

 sold for Paris green." 



The Cochineal insect, native to Mexico 

 and Central America, is said to thrive well 

 in Florida, 



