THE TUMBLING FLOWEE BEETLES. 



1313 



Fig. 575. a, Larva; 6, pupa; c, beetle, outline side view of female; d, 

 dorsaljview of aame; e, antenna; /, tarsal claw of same. (After Riley.) 



2424 (7TS0). Mordeli..\ scttellaris Fab., Syst. Eleut., II, 1801, 123. 



Dull black, clothed with brownish pubesceuee; scutellum sometimes 

 ash-gray ; sides of meso- and metasterna and front margins of ventral seg- 

 ments more or less ash or silvery gray. Length 3-6 mm. 



Throughout the State; common. June 2-September 23. Oc- 

 curs in numbers on the floAvers of Solidago and other CompositsB. 

 M. irrorata Lee. is a variety A\ith single ash-gray hairs scattered 

 over the elj'tra, and with the under surface dull black. 



242.5 (7782). JIoedella octopu>'ctata Fab., Syst. Eleut, II, 1801, 123. 



Head grayish pubes- 

 cent; thorax with a net- 

 work of lines of grayish- 

 yellow hairs; elytra as 

 mentioned in key, the basal 

 curved spots each partially 

 enclosing a round black 

 one, the subhumeral spot 

 narrow and oblique; under 

 surface spotted with ash- 

 gray pubescence. Length 

 i;-7 mm. (Fig. 575.) 



Southern half of State; frequent. June 2- August 7. Occurs 

 especially on flowers of Jersej^ tea. The young are said to feed on 

 the wood of very rotten oak stumps. 



2420 (7783). Mobdella maeginat.\ Melsh., Proe. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sri., II, 

 1845, 312. 

 Thorax with the margins, a narrow stripe each side of middle and a 

 short one extending forward from base near hind angles, silvery or ash- 

 gray. Elytra with the spots varying much in size and disi5r>sitiou. Under 

 surface varied with silver-gray and black. Length .3-4.5 mm. 



Throughout the State ; common. June 1- August 2. Occurs es- 

 pecially on flowers of dogwood, Jersey tea, and wild hydrangea. 

 The markings on the thorax are distinct only when held in a certain 

 light. 



2427 (7784). Mordella lunflata Helm., Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., XVII, 

 1865, 96. 

 Head and thorax sparsely clothed with yellowish-gray pubescence ; the 

 latter with an indistinct stripe extending forward from base on each side, 

 more densely pubescent ; under surface with sides and front margins of ven- 

 tral segments with sparse ash-gray hairs. Length 4 mm. 



Orange County ; rare. June 1. The single specimen agrees per- 

 fectly with the descriptions of Hellmuth 's type collected in Illinois, 

 the elytra having the "narrow basal margin, humeral lunule and 

 suture cinereous pubescent." In LeConte's obliqna, described from 



