UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



^mW BULLETIN No. 422 i 





Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 





Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



October 2, 1916 



THE EGGPLANT TORTOISE BEETLE. 



Bjr Thos. H.. Jones, 

 Entomological Assistant, Truck-Crop and Stored-Product Insect Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the spring of 1915 the larva of a tortoise heetle, Cassida 

 yallidula Boh., was observed in injurious numbers on the foliage of 

 young eggplant and on the leaves of Irish potato at Baton Rouge, 

 La. Wliile injury to eggplant by this species was mentioned by 

 Riley, under the name of Cassida texana Cr., as early as 1882 (2)/ 

 and while other ^^Titers have referred to its presence on wild Sola- 

 nums, no comprehensive article regardmg it has been published. 

 During 1915 the writer, assisted by Mr. C. E. Smith, of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, kept the insect under observation at Baton Rouge, La., 

 studying its life history and habits and conducting control experi- 

 ments with insecticides. Although the species has not been found 

 to be a pest of first-class importance to the plants which it attacks, it 

 is apparent that it is, at times at least, destructive enough to its cul- 

 tivated hosts to warrant the use of insecticides for its control. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The species is somewhat widely distributed over the more southern 

 portions of the United States. Riley (2) has recorded it from south- 

 ern Texas and Washington, D. C, Coquillett (4) reported its presence 

 in California, and Blatcliley (6) lists it in his ""Coleoptera of Indiana." 

 It also occurs in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and 



Arizona (7, 8). 



HOST PLANTS. 



Riley (2, 3) has recorded it as feeding on Solanum elaeagnifolium, 

 S. carolinense, and eggi)laiit, and Coquillett (4) found it on Solanum 

 jMrdi in California. Wickham (o) has stated that ho saw it feeding 

 on Solanum in the lower Rio Grande Valley. At Baton Rouge, La., 

 it ha.s been found on Solanum caroUnense, eggplant, and Irish potato. 



' Figures In parenthesis refer to "liibliograpliy," p. 8. 

 ■yAW-n,,]). 422 16 



