22 



POTATO-BEETLE. THE BEETLE DESCIIISED. 



side its outline is nearly the form of a crescent. The head is small and 

 much narrower than the fore part of the body, of a flattened spherical 

 form. Its mouth is furnished with short conical, jointed feelers and 

 larjjcjaws whicli are blunt at their ends, with little sharp teeth like those 

 of a saw. Immediately above the mouth on each side of the head is a 

 small conical and jointed projection which is the antenna. The thorax 

 has a large transverse space on the top of its first ring, of a firmer and 

 somewhat coriaceous texture and broadly margined with black on its hind 

 side and with dusky at each end. The abdomen is the thickest part of the 

 body and is distinctly divided into nine segments. It is very plump and 

 rounded, but flattened on its underside. It gradually tapers posteriorly 

 into a conical point the apex of which is blunt and serves as a pro-leg, 

 two small vesicular processes on its lower side at the end serving as feet. 

 There are six legs, placed anteriorly, upon the breast, each leg being com- 

 posed of three joints and ending in a small claw. The larva is of a pale 

 yellow color, often slightly dusky or freckeled on tlie back with minute 

 blackish dots, and along each side are two rows of large black dots, those 

 of the upper row larger, seven in number, not being [continued upon the 

 thoracic or the last abdominal rings, each dot having a small breathing 

 pore in its centre. The head is black and shining, and more or less mottled 

 on the face with dull yellowish. The neck or first ring has a black band 

 near its hind edge; the second ring has also either a short black band or 

 two black dots, whilst the third ring usually shows two small black dots 

 on its back. On the narrow tip of the body are two black bands, the 

 anterior one having at its end on each side a small black dot, and beyond 

 this a large black dot which is the last one of the lower row of dots along 

 the sides. On the next ring forward is a transverse row of six small 

 equidistant black dots, in addition to the two large dots on each side, 

 whereof the upper one is the last of the upper lateral row, and the lower 

 the penultimate one of the lower row. The legs are black: and often along 

 the middle of the body, on the underside, is a row of transverse black spots 

 or clouds, and also a row of small black dots upon each side. 



The Beetle or mature insect is 0,40 long and 0,25 thick, the female being 

 slightly larger. It is of a regular oval form, very convex above and flat 

 beneaUi, of a hard crustaceous texture, smooth and shining, of a bright 

 straw color, the h(>iid and thorax being sometimes tawny yellow, which is 

 the color of the underside; and is dotted and marked with black. After 

 death its colors often fade, becoming more dull and dark. The head is near- 

 ly spherical and little more than half the width of the thorax, into which 

 it is sunk nearly or quite to the eyes. It is sprinkled over with fine 

 punctures and shows on the front an impressed medial line, and on each 

 side of this a wider shallow indentation. On the crown is a triangular 

 black spot. The nose piece or clypeus, occupying the space between the 

 antennne, is nearly semicircular and placed transversely, and is coarsely 

 and closely punctured. The jaws are coarsely punctured, black at their 

 tips, and have a slender black line along their outer edge. The tips of 

 the palpi or feelers are dark brown. The autennse roach nearly to the base 



