THE EGGPLANT FLEA-BEETLE. 87 



grew tobacco, eggplant, and Jainestown weed, potato and tomato did 

 not appear to be attacked at all by this species. In addition to the 

 records of larval rearings given above and in the writer's previous 

 article, it should be mentioned that larvae and pupae of this species 

 were taken during the first two weeks of August, and in some numbers, 

 at the roots of Datura stramonium at Marshall Hall, Md., and on the 

 grounds of this Department at Washington. 



Distribution. — Of the distribution of this species the late Dr. Horn 

 said that it "occurs throughout the entire United States, extending f also 

 to the West India Islands." The writer fears that this statement of 

 the distribution is somewhat too comprehensive, as it is well known that 

 it is a southern species, and although it occurs pretty well northward, 

 especially where tobacco is raised, it does not extend as far as the 

 Boreal life zone, and I doubt if it is often found north of the Upper Aus- 

 tral. For the sake of accuracy it may be well to place on record the 

 following list of actual localities from which the species has been 

 recorded or in which it is known to occur: 



Chevy Chase, Cabin John, Glen Echo, College Station, Marshall Hall, 

 Eiver View, Poolesville, Md.; Skipwith, Danville, Lynchburg, Wood- 

 stock, Rosslyn, Cherry Dale, Va. ; District of Columbia; West Virginia; 

 Michigan; Gate wood, Oxford, N.C.; Kentucky; Boyd (injuring tobacco), 

 Columbus (Alwood), Boss County, Ohio; Huutsville, Ark.; Denver, 

 Colo.; Galiuro Mountains, Mont., Chiricahua Mountains, Tucson, and 

 elsewhere in Arizona; Cypress Mills and Burnett County, Tex.; Hau- 

 lover, Capron,New Smyrna, and elsewhere in Florida, and Montserrat, 

 W.I. 



It is also recorded from the Bahama Islands; Guatemala; Panama 

 (Champion); Mexico; and Cuba (Crotch). 



The above statement of localities indicates this species to be Austral 

 and Tropical. As further corroborating the stated belief that it seldom 

 if ever occurs above the Upper Austral zone.it should be said that the 

 species is not represented in Dr. Hamilton's list of the Coleoptera of 

 southwestern Pennsylvania, and does not to the writer's knowledge 

 occur in the State of New York. 



A parasitic enemy. — This flea-beetle, as well as E. cueumeris, is para- 

 sitized while in the adult condition by what is evidently , judging by the 

 larvae, a species of the hymenopterous family Braconidae. Numbers of 

 beetles were collected in order to rear the parasite. Larvae were first 

 observed July 14, but none lived more than a few days after issuing 

 from the beetles. All of the parasitic larvae, as far as could be learned, 

 made their escape from an aperture made at the anal orifice of their 

 host. 



THE EGGPLANT PLEA-BEETLE. 



(Epitrix fuscula Cr.) 



This flea-beetle was observed during the season of 1898, May 17, in 

 hothouse frames of eggplant at Teunallytown, D. C. May 21 great 

 numbers, as many as eight or ten to a small plant no higher than 3 or 4 

 inches, were observed on horse nettle at Biver View, Md. All these 



