﻿236 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  beetle, 
  it 
  was 
  suspected 
  that 
  our 
  new 
  ally 
  might 
  be 
  Lebia 
  graitdis 
  which 
  

  

  had 
  been 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  rendering 
  excellent 
  service 
  against 
  the 
  potato 
  

  

  beetle 
  in 
  western 
  States, 
  — 
  and 
  such 
  the 
  insect, 
  when 
  received 
  as 
  above, 
  

  

  proved 
  to 
  be. 
  

  

  The 
  beetle 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Size 
  rather 
  below 
  medium; 
  elytra 
  truncate 
  or 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  extremity, 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  exposed 
  ; 
  anterior 
  tibiae, 
  with 
  the 
  notch 
  

   on 
  the 
  inner 
  edge; 
  claws 
  distinctly 
  pectinate; 
  abdomen 
  somewhat 
  

   pedunculated; 
  thorax 
  rounded 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  wider 
  than 
  long; 
  the 
  

   posterior 
  margin 
  straight, 
  with 
  the 
  angles 
  somewhat 
  obtuse, 
  but 
  not 
  

   rounded, 
  narrower 
  than 
  the 
  elytra; 
  elytra 
  slightly 
  widened 
  posteriorly, 
  of 
  

   a 
  deep 
  or 
  dark 
  blue 
  color, 
  distinctly 
  striate 
  and 
  without 
  visible 
  punctures. 
  

   The 
  thorax 
  horny, 
  yellow, 
  smooth, 
  wiih 
  an 
  impressed 
  longitudinal 
  dorsal 
  

   line. 
  Head 
  yellowish, 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  darker 
  than 
  the 
  thorax, 
  the 
  legs 
  and 
  

   breast 
  also 
  yellow. 
  Length 
  about 
  or 
  shghtly 
  over 
  two-fifths 
  of 
  an 
  inch; 
  

   width 
  of 
  the 
  elytra 
  a 
  httle 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  length. 
  

  

  It 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  family 
  of 
  Carabidce, 
  which 
  are 
  commonly 
  known 
  

   as 
  ground 
  beetles 
  and 
  which 
  render 
  valuable 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  agriculturist 
  

   in 
  their 
  preying 
  upon 
  many 
  insect 
  pests. 
  

  

  As 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  references 
  given 
  above, 
  this 
  insect 
  has 
  long 
  

   been 
  recognized 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  efficient, 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  most 
  efficient, 
  of 
  

   the 
  thirty 
  or 
  more 
  species 
  of 
  insects 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  prey 
  

   upon 
  the 
  Colorado 
  potato 
  beetle. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  record, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know, 
  of 
  the 
  fondness 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  for 
  

   the 
  Colorado 
  potato 
  beetle, 
  is 
  the 
  brief 
  mention 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Glover, 
  in 
  his 
  

   annual 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1867, 
  to 
  

   this 
  effect 
  : 
  ^' 
  Dr. 
  Benjamin 
  Morris, 
  of 
  Pittsfield, 
  Illinois, 
  found 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  ground 
  beede, 
  Lebia 
  graiidis, 
  feeding 
  voraciously 
  upon 
  the 
  larvae 
  in 
  

   a 
  potato 
  field 
  in 
  that 
  neighborhood. 
  Hundreds 
  of 
  this 
  comparatively 
  

   rare 
  insect 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality, 
  and 
  always 
  preying 
  

   upon 
  the 
  grubs 
  of 
  the 
  potato 
  beetle." 
  

  

  In 
  1869, 
  another 
  notice 
  of 
  its 
  operations 
  in 
  Illmois 
  appears, 
  in 
  a 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Walsh, 
  the 
  entomologist 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  

   that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  destroying 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  potato 
  beetle, 
  while 
  

   " 
  so 
  intent 
  on 
  its 
  prey 
  as 
  to 
  retain 
  its 
  hold 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  leaf 
  was 
  

   gathered 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  stood." 
  In 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  its 
  identification 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Walsh, 
  he 
  wrote 
  of 
  it 
  : 
  " 
  This 
  beetle 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  group 
  of 
  ground 
  

   beetles 
  [Carabus 
  family) 
  almost 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  cannibals; 
  but 
  the 
  genus 
  

   to 
  which 
  it 
  belongs, 
  unlike 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  (Ground 
  beetles, 
  haunts 
  

   plants 
  and 
  is 
  active 
  by 
  day, 
  instead 
  of 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  being 
  

   nocturnal 
  in 
  its 
  habits." 
  

  

  