generation is the most injurious. Beetles maturing in the summer begin entering 
hibernation quarters as early as August, on or near the tree on which they fed. 
Shade tree elms are often heavily defoliated, whereas those growing in the forest 
are usually not seriously infested. The native parasite, Tetrastichus brevistigma 
Gahan, and the coccinelid predator, Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer), occasion- 
ally exert a considerable degree of control in the Northeastern States (/02, 1263). 
The cherry leaf beetle, P. cavicollis (LeConte) occurs in southern Canada and in 
the Eastern States southward through the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains to 
North Carolina and westward to the Rocky Mountains. Its preferred host is pin 
cherry but it also feeds on plum, other cherries, and peach in heavily infested areas. 
The adult is red, shining, coarsely punctured, and about 5 mm long. Larvae are 
dark brown, with black and yellow spots, and are about 6 mm long. 
The winter is spent in the adult stage. In the spring, eggs are deposited in the soil 
at the base of the tree or on the trunk near the base. The larvae climb the tree and 
feed on the foliage. Full-grown larvae return to the ground and pupate in the leaf 
mold or soil. There is one generation per year. The gray willow leaf beetie, P. 
decora decora (Say), and P. tuberculata (Say) feed on willows. 
The elm calligrapha, Calligrapha scalaris (LeConte), has been reported from 
eastern Canada and from several widely distributed points in the Eastern United 
States. Its preferred and probably only host is elm. Adults are elongate-oval, 
creamy-white beetles from 8 to 10 mm long. The head and thorax are dark, metallic 
green. Each elytron bears from 10 to 14 metallic green spots, a dark-green, boot- 
shaped spot at the base, and a dark, metallic-green, irregular stripe along the inner 
edge. Full-grown larvae are hump-shaped and have yellow heads. The abdomen is 
light yellow or cream with a black line down the middle of the dorsum. 
Adults overwinter in bark crevices, in sheltered places around the base of the: 
tree, or in the top 2.5 to 5 cm of soil. When the adults emerge in the spring, they 
chew oval or circular holes in the leaves. The larvae devour entire leaves except the 
veins. When they reach maturity, they craw] down the trunk in search of places to 
pupate and spend the winter. In heavy infestations, they frequently occur by the 
thousands on the trunk or under the larger limbs. American elm is sometimes 
heavily defoliated and damaged in the Midwest (283). 
Calligrapha multipunctata bigsbyana (Kirby) sometimes completely defoliates 
willows over large areas in the Northeastern States. It is also a common species in 
the Midwest. The adult is a somewhat bronzed, metallic-green beetle about 6 to 8 
mm long. The antennae and legs are reddish, and the margins of the pronotum and 
most of the elytra are pale yellow. 
The larger elm leaf beetle, Monocesta coryli (Say), occurs throughout most of 
the Eastern United States from Georgia and Alabama northward to Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and westward to the Plains States (20). Its hosts are 
recorded as native and Japanese elms, river birch, pecan, hawthorn, and hazel. 
Slippery elm is especially favored. The adult is about 12 mm long. Its color is dull 
yellow to dark brown, with large, greenish patches at the ends of each elytron. Full- 
grown larvae are reddish brown, metallic lustered, and about 13 mm long. 
Winter is spent as a full-grown larva in a cell 6 to 10 cm below the surface of the 
soil. Pupation occurs in early spring, and adult emergence begins in late May. The 
adults fly to the tops of their hosts, and feed on the leaves for several days. Eggs are 
deposited in masses on the undersurfaces of leaves; the larvae are gregarious and 
skeletonize the foliage; and there is one generation per year. Outbreaks have 
occurred in river bottoms of the Piedmont in the Carolinas and Alabama. 
262 
