GRAPEVINE FLEA-BEETLES. 5 



ened near the eyes, frontal carina rather acute, the tubercles small, oblique. Thorax 

 a little more than half wider than long, narrowed in front, sides arcuate, margin narrow, 

 slightly thickened in front, disc convex, the ante-basal impressed line rather deep and 

 extending from margin to margin, surface with extremely minute scattered punctures. 

 Elytra scarcely wider at base than the thorax, humeri rounded, umbone moderately 

 prominent, smooth, limited within by a slight depression, surface sparsely punctate, 

 nearly smooth near apex. Body beneath and legs blue-black, moderately shining, 

 abdomen sparsely punctate. Length .16-. 20 inch; 4-5 mm. 



THE EGG. 

 P1.I,A,B. 



In general shape the egg is subcylindrical, with the ends rounded. The surface is 

 roughly pitted, and on the surface opposite to the side of attachment is a twisted 

 brownish strand about one-third the length of the egg. The color varies from a deep 

 yellow to orange. Length 1.10 mm.; diameter 0.42 mm. 



The size and color agree with the description by Hartzell {23) but 

 differ from that of Comstock {12). 



THE LARVA. 

 Similar to larva of Altica woodsi, PI. II, A. 



The larva is short and stout, convex dorsally and flattened ventrally, and is further 

 characterized by a nearly hemispherical head, by short stout legs, and by an anus 

 which functions as a locomotor organ. Each body segment is marked by a double 

 series of chitinized plates or tubercles and the skin between these plates is dotted with 

 minute wartlike excrescences. When the larva is newly hatched or molted it is yellow 

 in color. Upon exposure to the air, however, the chitinized areas become shining 

 black and as they fit closely together the larva itself becomes shining black. With 

 growth the skin between the chitinized areas begins to show and when the larva is 

 full grown the skin is so distended that a brownish yellow is the dominant color, the 

 black being confined to the chitinized areas. The spiracles are located on the meso- 

 thoracic and first eight abdominal segments. The head and body plates are fur- 

 nished with sparse, long setse. 



The arrangement of the body plates and setse on the first seven abdominal segments 

 is as follows: Dorsally each segment is furnished with two transverse rows of setiferous 

 plates. The mid-dorsal plates are transversely elongate, the anterior one being slightly 

 the longer, and are furnished with a seta on either side of the median line; on either 

 side of each of these plates and above the spiracle are two smaller circular plates each 

 bearing a single seta; below the spiracle is a prominent, longitudinal, compound 

 tubercle, which roughly divides the dorsal and ventral aspects, bearing a pair of 

 setae, and below this is another tubercle also bearing two setae; ventrally, near the 

 anterior margin of the segment, there is one elongate, transverse plate crossing the 

 median line and bearing one seta on either side; on the posterior half of the segment 

 and at either side of the median plate is a small oval plate bearing two setse. 



On the first thoracic segment all dorsal plates are fused into one large plate, the 

 prothoracic shield, which bears five pairs of setse along the anterior margin, and three 

 pairs in a row on the posterior margin; laterally there is one small tubercle bearing a 

 single seta, and at the base of each coxa is a pair of tubercles each bearing a single 

 seta; ventrally there is one large rectangular plate bearing an anterior and a posterior 

 pair of setse. 



The second thoracic segment resembles the abdominal segments closely. The 

 mid-dorsal plates are not continuous but are divided at the median line ; on each side 

 of the mid-dorsal plates is a single outer dorsal plate, the anterior one being quite 



