70 



THE STRAWBERRY FLEA-BEETLE. 



{Haltica ignita 111.) 



One of the periodical visitants of the strawberry bed, and an insect 

 that can, in its periods of abundance, prove quite troublesome, is a 

 Chrysomelid beetle, known in literature as the strawberry-leaf flea- 

 beetle, or fiery flea-beetle. It has also been called the apple flea-beetle 

 and the lesser grapevine flea-beetle, and is now known scientifically 

 as Haltica ignita 111. , though often mentioned in text-books and agri- 

 cultural works under the name of Graptodera ignita. 



The periodicity of attack of this insect, coupled with the fact that it 

 is not confined to strawberry, but feeds on a variety of other plants, 

 including weeds— its natural and preferred larval food plants — render 



it unlikely that it will ever be- 

 come of the highest impor- 

 tance. Of its capabilities for 

 destruction more will be said 

 under the chapters devoted to 

 recorded injuries and litera- 

 ture and unpublished records 

 of injuries. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES. 



The strawberry flea- beetle 

 belongs to the typical genus 

 Haltica, of the tribe Halticini, 

 or flea-beetles, a genus which 

 includes 24 described species, 

 most of them of a uniform 

 greenish or bluish color, and 

 all provided, as are other flea- 

 beetles, with powerful, dilated hind femora. By means of their strong 

 hind-legs the beetles possess an unusual saltatory power, which has 

 given them the common name of flea-beetles. 



Haltica ignita was given its scientific name by the German ento- 

 mologist Illiger in the year 1807 (Magazin fur Insectenkunde, Vol. 

 VI, p. 117). It was described later under the specific names kalmice 

 Melsh. and incerata Lee, and mention is made by Melsheimer and 

 LeConte of two MSS. names, cuprea Melsh. and splendida, by which 

 the species was also known in collections. 



The various species of Haltica are difficult of determination without 

 the aid of full descriptions and a large series of specimens, including 

 the males. H ignita is one of the smaller species and belongs to the 

 same group as the grapevine flea-beetle, H chalybea, which has the 

 thorax with an antebasal groove extending entirely across. In the 



Fig. 17. — Haltica ignita: a, beetle; b. egg mass on bit of 

 leaf; c, newly-hatebed larva; d, first abdominal seg- 

 ment of same greatly enlarged ; e, larva; /, pupa— all 

 except d about eight times natural size (original) . 



