1000 I. M. Hawity 
invariably indicated by a line of pale mid-dorsal tubercles, which contribute to form a pair 
of dorsal or inner bands; shield granulose and bluntly rounded at both ends, bearing a dis- 
connected continuation of the longitudinal body banding; body tubercles rather long and 
slender; sole opaque, waxy white, and indistinctly tripartite, the median portion slightly 
darker and more transparent than the side areas, and occupying more than one-third of the 
width of the body; foot-fringe broad and white or pale-grey in colour, usually without per- 
ceptible lineolations, but sometimes the lineoles are clearly pigmented, especially at the 
caudal end of the body. 
Another slug occasionally found with Agriolimax agrestis in New York 
is Arion circumscriptus Johnson, a species imported into this country 
from Europe and reported by Taylor (1907) from Niagara Falls and from 
the District of Columbia. The writer has found it very common at Ithaca, 
at Perry, and at Waterville, in New York. This slug apparently prefers 
to live in sod land, in decaying tree trunks, or under fallen leaves. It 
may be found in grassy orchards, feeding on bruised and decaying fruit. 
It is seldom, if ever, injurious to growing plants. The species belongs to 
the family Arionidae. It may be easily separated from the other slugs 
found with Agriolimax agrestis by the position of its respiratory pore, 
which is in the anterior half of the mantle while in the other forms it is in 
the posterior half. A longitudinal black band runs the full length of the 
animal’s body. 
THE PALE-STRIPED FLEA BEETLE 
(Systena taeniata Say) 
The pale-striped flea beetle, Systena taeniata (of the family Chrysomeli- 
dae), is found in the bean fields in New York State every year, in large or 
small numbers. This small, active insect is brownish yellow in color, with 
a broad yellow stripe running lengthwise along each wing cover (Plate 
LXIX, 11). There are several color varieties of the insect, but the common 
one in New York is blanda, in which there is little contrast between the 
stripe and the remainder of the wing cover. The typical dark form is found 
occasionally. In early writings these varieties were often treated as sep- 
arate species. When S. taenzata is numerous in dry-summers, the beetles 
may cause considerable injury to beans by attacking the foliage. They 
leave in their wake many shallow feeding places on the surface of the 
leaves, and some of these spots later develop into irregular holes. If the 
plant is unable to supply sufficient soil water for~the increased trans- 
piration resulting from the injury, the leaves will turn a sickly yellow. In 
a year when the normal supply of soil moisture is available, beans can 
sustain much damage from the feeding of the insect without any serious 
injury resulting to the development of the plant. 
S. taeniata is a well-known insect in nearly all parts of the United States, 
and in many places is considered a serious pest. It has injured sugar 
beets in Michigan, in New York, and in Colorado, corn in Illinois, clover 
in Kentucky, cotton in Georgia, Kieffer pear grafts in Maryland, and 
seedling apple trees in New York. Other host plants of the insect are 
