THE ENTOMOLOGY OF HELIANTHUS. 195 



Synchloe lacinia, Geyer. 

 This polycbroic Nymphalid takes the place of P. ismeria in 

 southern New Mexico and adjacent northern Mexico, where the 

 larvae abound on sunflowers. A good account was given by 

 W. H. Edwards in * Canadian Entomologist,' Nov. 1893, pp. 

 286-291. It chanced that Edwards had at the same time eggs 

 and larvae of P. ismeria {carlota) from Montana and Colorado. 

 He found the eggs, and larvaB in first two stages, of the two 

 species " in no way distinguishable," In later stages they are 

 alike in shape and armature, but differ in coloration. However, 

 the pupa of S. lacinia is closely like that of Melitcea haroni, and 

 is not like that of P. ismeria, which is typical of Phyciodes, like 

 P. tharos. As to the differences in the colours of the larvae, it 

 will be seen from the above account that P. ismeria presents two 

 varieties, and these nearly correspond to two varieties of 

 S. lacinia. S. lacinia, interpreted in the broad sense as a 

 variable species, goes south to Peru and Bolivia, but I have 

 no information about its habits in those regions. 



DiPTERA. 



Tephritis jinalis, Loew. 



This Trypetid, kindly determined for me by Mr. F. Knab, 

 breeds in numbers in the heads of our red sunflower at Boulder, 

 Colorado. The species is widely distributed, from Idaho and 

 South Dakota, west to California, and south to Orizaba, Mexico. 

 It might by some accident be introduced into Europe (e. g. 

 Eussia) and there become a formidable pest ; precautions 

 should be taken to prevent such an occurrence. 



Another Trypetid, Strauzia longipennis, Wied. (det. Knab), 

 was found in Boulder on the sunflower plants, but it is not as 

 yet known to feed upon them. 



COLEOPTERA. 



Dectes alticola, Casey. 

 In October, 1913, my wife found in a head of the red sun- 

 flower a creamy white Coleopterous larva with large humps on 

 the body. It was sent alive to the National Museum in 

 Washington, and Mr. Craighead placed it in the stem of a 

 chrysanthemum, and thus very cleverly succeeded in raising the 

 adult, which was determined as D. spinosus, Say. Just about 

 this time, however, Casey published his D. alticola, a segregate 

 from D. spinosus, readily recognisable by the black humeral 

 spots. The Boulder species, which I had earlier taken in the 

 adult state (July 18th), is D. alticola. True D. spinosus is from 

 the Eastern States, and Mr. Craighead very kindly sent me a 

 pair of these, which he has bred from stems and roots of 

 ragweed. 



