THE LEAF BEETLES. 



L163 



spots on each black, the outer ones sometimes confluent to form a margin,!! 

 stripe. Upper surface punctured as in interrupta. Length 7-9.5 mm. (Pig. 

 505.) 



Throughout the State; frequent. April 15-September 18. Lives 

 on the foliage of cottonwood, Carolina poplar and other members 

 of the genus Populus. 



L. tremulcB Fabr., is an introduced European species which is 

 known to occur in Massachusetts and Michigan. 



2153 (6840). Lin a obsoleta Say, Journ. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., Ill, 1824, 



453; ibid. II, 218. 



Oblong-oval. Head, elytra and under surface purplish-black ; thorax 

 with reddish margins enclosing a rounded black spot, or reddish with three 

 or four blackish spots at center ; elytra with the margins, tips and often 

 two short, indistinct lines on basal half, reddish-yellow. Elytra more 

 coarsely and densely punctured than in scripta. Length 7-8 mm. 



Lake County ; rare. Two specimens taken by Wolcott near Hess- 

 ville and Pine. May 2-June 30. 



XLI. Phyllodecta Kirby. 1837. (Gr, " leaf + to bite.") 



This genus is represented in the State by one oblong, convex 

 species having the front coxal cavities open; front tibiaB slender, 

 neither toothed nor produced at tip; tarsi with third joint much 

 wider and longer than first and second and deeply bilobed; tarsal 

 claws toothed. 



2154 ( ). Phyllodecta vitelline Linn., Syst. Ent. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, 



370. 



Obloug, convex. Purple, shining ; under surface piceous, bronzed. An- 

 tennae slender, less than one-half the length of body ; third joint longer than 

 second and one-half longer than fourth. Thorax one-third broader than 

 long, front angles prominent, hind ones rectangular, base without a mar- 

 ginal line; surface sparsely and irregularly punctured, the punctures on 

 sides coarser than those on disk. Elytra with rows of moderate sized punc- 

 tures, those on the sides coarser and more or less irregular. Length 4- 

 5 mm. 



Steuben County; rare. June 17. Taken by sweeping herbage 

 in tamarack swamp. Occurs on the willow, Salix longifolia. A 

 European species introduced by commerce. Of it Knab writes me: 

 "Generally passes in collections as P. vulgatissima L.. but Weise 

 states that the latter species has the thorax finely margined behind. 

 I hsyg seen no American specimens with this character." 



