96 



A LEAF-BEETLE INJURIOUS TO CULTIVATED SUNFLOWER. 



August 14, 1898, Mr. M. J. Furlong sent to this office specimens of 

 larvae and adults of the leaf-beetle, Ghrysomela {Zy go gramma) exclama- 

 tionis Fab., with information that it was doing injury to cultivated 

 sunflower at Fisher, Minn. 



August 25, our correspondent, in response to request, made another 

 sending of the insect, with the statement that it was also found on sun- 

 flower at the Minnesota Subexperiment Station at Crookston about two 

 weeks previous to this writing. At this place it was controlled by hand- 

 picking. It was anticipated that it would be necessary to ''fight" the 

 insect at Fisher early next year if it should reappear at that place. 

 The beetles went into the earth as soon as received, although larvae 

 were still living at the time. 



I am unable to find any reference to the habits of this species in any 

 of the literature which I have consulted. Among the notes of the late 

 Dr. Eiley, however, I find that it was taken commonly in the larval and 

 adult conditions on wild sunflower all through Texas, Indian Territory, 

 Kansas, and Colorado. Larva? of all stages were observed during 

 August, 1873, always crowding head downward between the leaves 

 when at rest, while the beetles were just coming out of the ground at 

 this time. Dr. Eiley also took larva? and beetles at Greeley, Colo , m 

 July, 1877. 



In the writer's collection, this species is represented also from Mon- 

 tana and lew Mexico, and it is recorded from Arizona. — F. H. C. 



RECENT INJURY BY BARK-BEETLES— A CORRECTION. 



During the past two years much injury has been reported by bark- 

 beetles of the genus Dendroctonus to pine and other coniferous forest 

 trees in different parts of the Northern States, from New England to 

 Montana. Notice of injury by Dendroctonus ruftpennis in New Hamp- 

 shire was published m Bulletin 10, n. s., of this Division (p. 98), and 

 was again referred to in Bulletin 17 (pp. 07-69), the identification of 

 I), rvfipennis having been attributed to the writer. 



On looking through our Division records, I find that this is an error, 

 as the bark-beetles seen by me, from the infested locality were of a dif- 

 ferent species. This species was received from West Stewartstown, X. 

 H., July 28, 1897 : while that identified as rufipennis was from Cole- 

 grove, N. H., June 5, of the same year. The question of the identity 

 of the species of Dendroctonus concerned in this damage is now receiv- 

 ing attention at the hands of Dr. A. D. Hopkins, and until further 

 study is made of the matter it will be premature to write concerning 

 the species at work in the different localities. It is apparent that 

 several undescribed forms are present in the infested region, either as 

 secondary or primary enemies. — F. H. C. 



