CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA: 



ITS LIFE HISTORY, 



BEHAVIOR, AND SUCCESSFUL COLONIZATION IN 

 NEW ENGLAND. 



INTRODUCTION. 



It has long been known that certain predaceous beetles common in 

 Europe belonging to the family Carabidse, particularly Calosoma 

 sycophanta L. and Calosoma inquisitor L., are enemies of the gipsy 

 moth and the brown-tail moth, as well as other lepidopterous larvaB, 

 and as soon as the work of importing the natural enemies of the first- 

 mentioned insects into Massachusetts 

 was begun an effort was made to se- 

 cure these species for liberation. 



Calosoma sycophanta (PI. I) is a 

 beautiful green beetle about 1 inch in 

 length. It is provided with long 

 legs and is able to run and climb 

 very rapidly. The tarsal joints of 

 the front legs of the female are di- 

 lated and spongy beneath, while 

 those of the male are similar to those 

 on the other legs. (See fig. 1.) 



In the spring of 1905 an arrange- 

 ment was made between the State of 

 Massachusetts and the United States 

 Department of Agriculture whereby 

 the introduction of the natural ene- 

 mies of these moths was to be carried 

 on cooperatively, and Dr. L. O. How- 

 ard, Chief of the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, was given general supervision 

 of the work. In order to organize 

 large quantities of material could be secured and promptly shipped 

 to this country, he sailed for Europe early in the spring of that 

 year and engaged competent entomologists in several countries to 

 take charge of that branch of the service. 



7 



Fig. 1. — Front leg of female and of male of Ca- 

 losoma sycophanta, showing differences in 

 structure of front tarsal joints: a, Female; 

 b, male; c, underside of male tarsus. (Orig- 

 inal.) 



a corps of collectors, so that 



