F-506746 
FIGURE 41.—Leaf of basswood 
mined by the basswood leaf 
miner, Baliosus ruber. 
to greenish-blue above, bluish-black beneath, and about 6 mm. 
long. Full-grown larvae are dark brown to almost black above, 
dark yellow beneath, and a little longer than the adult. In Maine, 
over-wintering adults emerge in early spring and feed for a short 
time by eating small holes in the leaves before laying their eggs 
on the lower surface of the leaves. The larvae feed on both leaf 
surfaces and become mature in about 5 weeks (794). In the North 
there is one generation per year; in the South there may be two. 
The related species, A. carinata Germ. feeds on elm and A. sub- 
plicata (LeC.), on willow. 
The pine colaspis, Colaspis pint Barber, occurs from Maryland 
to central Florida and westward to east Texas. It feeds mostly on 
southern pines but also occasionally on cypress and ornamental 
spruce. The adult is an elongate-oval, convex, rusty yellow or 
brown beetle with green reflections, and it is about 4.5 mm. long. 
Full-grown larvae are sparsely covered with short hairs. Small 
clusters of longer hairs occur at the lower, outer edges of each 
body segment. 
The winter is spent in the larval stage in cells in the soil. Pupa- 
tion occurs in the spring and adults begin to emerge by early May. 
They feed on the needles of the host, chewing from the edges into 
the midrib. In light infestations, feeding is generally limited to 
the needles on new growth; whereas in heavy infestations needles 
over the entire crown may be attacked and entirely consumed. 
Where this occurs, infested stands appear as if scorched by fire. 
The larvae feed on the roots of grasses and herbaceous vegetation 
until fall, and then move deeper in the soil where they spend the 
winter. Infestations tend to occur on pines growing along the 
edges of stands bordering on grassland, or on isolated groups of 
pines growing in fields or yards. Severe infestations have been 
recorded in pine plantations in Florida, Georgia, and the Gulf 
Coast States. Nichols!® discussed the biology of the species in 
Louisiana. 
10 Nichols, H. W. 1962. The biology, distribution, and insecticidal control 
of pine colaspis (Colaspis pini Barber) in Louisiana. (Master’s thesis, 
Louisiana State Univ.) 
142 
