THE WESTERN" CABBAGE ELEA-BEETLE. 



except in a few darker individuals from northern Colorado, the 

 normal color being almost uniformly cupreous or copper-colored. 

 The species is also apt to be confused with PJi, aeneicollis Cr., but the 

 latter may be readily distinguished, inasmuch as it is more convex, 

 more shining, and distinctly larger. 



EGG. 



The egg is light yellow, glistening, of oval form, and about 1/50 

 of an inch in length. 



In confinement eggs were deposited in cracks in the soil about 

 the roots of the cruciferous plants on which the larva subsists and 

 there is good reason to believe that this 

 is the usual habit under field con- 

 ditions. 



LARVA. 



The larva (fig. 2, a, h) is thread-like 

 in appearance, uniformly white, except 

 for the head sclerites, the legs, and a 

 chitinized area on the caudal abdominal 

 segment, which are pale chestnut brown. 

 The mature larva is about 5 mm. in 

 length and from 0.5 to 0.65 mm. in 

 width, or approximately 10 times as 

 long as wide. 



The larvae feed normally on the roots 

 of cruciferous plants and remain con- 

 cealed in the soil throughout their life. 



PUPA. 



On reaching maturity the larva selects 

 a suitable place for transformation and 

 then wriggles about until it has formed 

 a compact, well-defined cell in the soil, 

 in the vicinity of the roots on which it fed. After the cell is formed 

 the larva shortens and in about two days changes to pupa. 



The pupa (fig. 2, c) is approximately of the same size as the adult 

 and is en t- rely white. The arrangement of the antennae, legs, and 

 wings is the same as that of the average halticine pupa. 3 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The range of the western cabbage flea-beetle, accorded by Horn 

 and others, is from the Dakotas to Mexico and central and southern 

 California. 



3 Detailed descriptions of the immature stages are omitted from this paper localise fresh material is not 

 available and it is, moreover, desirable to compare all cf these stages vrith those cf related species and 

 illustrate the same. 



Fig. 2. — Western cabbage flea-beetle: a, 

 Outline of larva, lateral view; b, head 

 and thoracic segments of same, dorsal 

 view; c, pupa. Enlarged. 



