40 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPLRIMENT STATION. I913. 



most only a partial second. Mr. F. A. Sirrine's observations 

 made in 1896 in New York are confirmed by our own. He says 

 "As the facts stand there is probably but one brood of the 

 potato flea-beetle a year." 



Disfribution. The potato flea-beetle has a wide distribution 

 in this country, having been recorded from most of the states 

 from Maine to California. The species is mentioned in the pub- 

 lications of over half of the Agricultural Experiment Stations. 



HABITS AND DESCRIPTION. 



The hibernating adult beetles emerge from their hiding places 

 under leaves and rubbish during April and May, in this State 

 usually the latter month, and may be found upon plantain, and 

 other weeds, as well as upon the foliage of wild cherry, apple, 

 maple and other trees, where they apparently feed but little if 

 at all at this time for the leaves upon which they are found 

 resting do not bear evidence of feeding punctures. A little 

 later when the young tomato plants are set out, early in June 

 in the vicinity, of Orono, the flea-beetles feed upon them, fre- 

 quently in such numbers as greatly to impair the growth of 

 che plant. From the middle to the last week in June mating 

 pairs are seen. The first eggs the past season at Orono were 

 found on June 26, and none found later than the middle of July. 

 The eggs which were obtained from adults, confined under 

 cheese cloth covered lantern globes set over earth filled flower 

 pots, are laid singly in the ground.^ The egg (fig. 10) is white 

 in color, elongate ellipsoid in shape, its long diameter about 

 21-2 times the shorter, about .25 mm. long, the surface feebly 

 sculptured. Some potato plants growing in flower pots in 

 breeding cages were "charged" with flea-beetles on July 3. On 

 July 30 full grown larvae and a few pupae were found among 

 the roots of these plants, the larvae mining in the seed potato, 

 the body over half buried within the tuber, the posterior end 

 sticking out at right angles to the surface. The pupae as well 

 as some of the larvae were found free in the earth among the 

 roots. 



The larvae (fig. ii) are white, slender, wormlike creatures 

 with distinct dark brown head and yellowish-brown thoracic 

 shield. The head is oval; the mandible subtriangular. the apex 

 with about 4 blunt teeth of which the laterals are smallest (fig. 



