106 



HALTICIM. 



of this insect by V. L. Wildermuth, U.S. Dept. Agric, Washington, 

 Bull. no. 43(5, Feb. 1917 : — This insect occurs in the semi-:»rid 

 areas of the south-western United States, where it attacks maize, 

 sugar-cane, Sudan grass, wheat, barley and lucerne, its natural 

 food-plants being apparently some of the native grasses. The 

 larvae attack the plants below the ground, while the adults feed 

 upon the leaves. The eggs are laid at or near the surface of the 

 ground, and hatch in about six days. The larval stage lasts on an 

 average thirty-two days, the larvae when full-fed pupating in the 

 soil beside the roots. The pupal stiige varies in length. The 

 whole life-cycle covers a period of about seven weeks. There are 

 three or four generations in each year. Adults hiberuate under 

 rubbish, or about the base of grasses. 



West Indies and Central America. 



Ilaltica jamaicensis, Fabr. 



The following remarks are gathered from Eev. Appl. Ent., 

 ser. A, vol. v, 1917, p. 560, where an abstract is given of an 

 account of the life-history of this insect : — 



This is the largest of the* flea-beetles found in Porto Rico, and 

 is at times extremely abundant. It occurs also in Jamaica, Santo 

 Domingo, Haiti, Costa Rica and Cuba. While the favourite food- 

 plants are the common weeds, Jussicea leptocarpa, J. suffruticosci 

 and erecta, it occasionally feeds on garden beans, and might 

 become a serious pest if its food-supply should fail. The eggs, 

 which are laid on the ieaves and stems of the plant, number about 

 520 for each female. They hatch in four to six days, and the 

 young larvae feed on the foliage, descending to the soil to pupate 

 after the second moult. The prepupal and pupal stages together 

 occupy 11 days, the whole life-cycle requiring 39 days. 



Structure of ilie Larvae, 

 Lonrjitarsus ochroleucus, Marsh. 



This description is taken from two specimens preserved in 

 alcohol in the collection of the British Museum. They were 

 collected by Mr. H. W. Miles at Kerton, Lincolnshire, on 

 31 January, 1924. The larva is very narrow and elongate in 

 form, measuring 4f mm. in length in alcohol, and 7 mm. after 

 the specimen is cleared by boiling in potash. It is uniformly 

 creamy-white in colour, except the mouth-parts, which, being 

 highly chitinised, are brown. The segments of the body are not 

 well marked, but the small narrow head, the three thoracic seg- 

 ments each bearing a pair of very small legs, and nine abdominal 

 segments can be distinguished. The head is longer than broad 

 and is formed by a chitinised plate, which bends over ventral ly 

 on either side; the true ventral surface consists of membrane 

 joining the sinuous edges of the bent chitinised plate. There is a 

 median chitinised support. The mandibles are situated at the 



