NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 97 



kept prior to 1917. It is well known that most complaints of this 

 insect are based upon swarms of the beetles feeding upon the blos- 

 soms and foliage of various trees and consequently the above 

 records doubtless indicate swarms in different localities in the 

 State. 



Reference to the published records of the State Museum indi- 

 cates reports in 1900, 1909, T911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1917, and 1919, 

 the insect apparently, judging from reports, being most abundant 

 in 191 1 and 1914. It will be noted that there is at least a sugges- 

 tion of biennial periodicity though this is not strictly true for the 

 20 years covered. The developments of 191 7 and 1919 led Pro- 

 fessor Crosby to suggest that this blister beetle might have a two- 

 year life cycle. Granting that this latter is the case, one would 

 hardly expect a marked biennial appearance owing to the fact that 

 this blister beetle has a variety of food plants and could therefore 

 easily escape observation, and moreover it is doubtless influenced 

 to some extent by climatic conditions and the available food supply. 

 The above records must be considered suggestive at least. 



American holly leaf miner (Phytomyza ilicicola 

 Loew). Specimens of the work of this insect were forwarded for 

 identification under date of April 29, 1921 by C. H. Zimmer, Lyn- 

 brook, accompanied by the statement that a small percentage of the 

 leaves were affected on the estate of Victor Morowietz near 

 Syossett, L. I. An examination of the affected leaves shows the 

 upper surface to be badly scarred by the mines of this insect, the 

 under surface being practically undamaged. The mines contained 

 numerous puparia, some alive, and it is evident that adults are 

 likely to emerge in the near future. 



The eggs are laid in all probability on the underside of the leaves 

 and the young maggots work in the foliage through most of the 

 season and perhaps winter in this condition, the flies issuing the 

 following spring. This latter is evidenced by the condition of the 

 material noted above. 



The holly leaf miner appears to be a southern insect and state- 

 ments at hand indicate considerably more damage in the vicinity 

 of Philadelphia. It is quite possible that the injury noted above 

 was the indirect outcome of the unusually early, warm season. 



Melander (N. Y. Ent. Soc. Jour., 21 1270, 1913) places this 

 species as a variety of obscurella Fall. The insect was 

 described by Loew. as P. ilicis (Dipt. Amer. Sept. Indig., 

 p. 156, 1861 ), this being changed to ilicicola because the earlier 



