60 



11. The White Oak Phymatodes, Phymatodes variabilis, (Fabr.) Order,. 

 Colhoptera; Family, Cerambycil\e. 



"Boring the trunk and branches of the oak, a narrow longicorn larva, changing to- 

 a reddish thick-bodied longicorn beetle." — (Packard.) 



Length about half an inch, body and legs reddish, head black, wing-covers Prussian 

 blue. 



Dr. Packard states that numerous specimens of this beetle were taken by Mr. Alfred- 

 Poor from a white oak stick, June 20th. 



12. The White Headed Phymatodes, Phymatodes varius, (Fabr.) Order,. 

 Ooleoptera ; Family, CerambycidjE. 



" A long-horned beetle, 0.25 in length or slightly less, and about a third as broad,, 

 somewhat flattened, clothed with fine erect grey hairs, its wing-covers with two distinct 

 slender white bands which do not reach the suture, the anterior one more slender than 

 the hind one and curved ; the antennae and slender portions of the legs usually chestnut- 

 colored. Several specimens of this beetle were met with the last of May, in the trunk 

 of a black oak, in which it is probable their younger state had been passed." — (Fitch.) 



Dr. Packard states that he found near Providence, several of these beetles of both 

 sexes, running in and out of a pile of oak cord wood in the forest, May 30th, which was. 

 cut the previous winter. 



Injuring the Roots. 



13. The Zebra Lepturian, Leplura zebra, (Olivier.) Order, Coleoptera ; 

 Family, Cerambycid^e. 



Length about half an inch, general color bright golden yellow, upper surface of thorax 

 marked with a transverse crescent shaped spot of black. Wing-covers black, crossed by 

 four yellow bands, under surface yellow, legs and antenna? red. 



I took a number of these beautiful longicorns on or about the same red oak on which 

 A fulminans was so abundant. They were very shy and active, taking flight on the least 

 alarm, so that it was difficult to watch an individual for any length of time. The bank 

 of turf and earth torn up by the matted roots, appeared to be especially attractive to 

 them, as most of those taken were found there. On two occasions I observed females, 

 entering cavities where the earth had been worn away from the roots, but they 

 followed their windings too far down to allow me to see what they were about. Their 

 actions led me to believe that they oviposit on the larger roots; when disturbed they ran 

 out and flew away. According to Dr. Packard, Dr. Horn states that the larva and pupa 

 inhabit the black oak, injuring the branches. 



14. The Oak Pruser, Elaphidion villosum, (Fabr.) Order, Coleoptera; Family,. 

 Cerambycid.e. 



This insect has been given its popular name on account of the manner in which the 

 grub or larva cuts away the wood of the branch in which it is boring, thus weakening it so 

 that it is liable to be broken off by the autumn winds. The earlier writers on this 

 insect were of the opinion that "The limb thus wounded would become too dry for 

 the maintenance of the soft-bodied larva, hence, it must be felled to the ground, 

 where in the wet and under the snows of winter, -it would remain sufficiently moist 

 for the existence of the insect, which completes its transformations within." The investi- 

 gations of Messrs. Clarkson and Hamilton have shown that moisture is not necessary for 

 the development of the beetle. These gentlemen having obtained numerous specimens 

 from branches kept within doors. 



No doubt the pruning of the branch is instinctively done in order to stop the flow 

 of sap, and thus obtain a supply of dead wood ; the same end is obtained by the hickory 

 borer, Onciderea cinfftUahu, but in a different manner; in this case the girdling or pruning 

 being done by the adult insect, and from the outside of the branch. 



