16 



FLEA-BEETLE. 



The tobacco flea-beetle, Epitrix parvula (fig. 8), is one of thephy- 

 tophagid beetles, a family including many extremely injurious forms, 

 such as the 10-lined potato beetle, the asparagus beetle, cucumber 

 beetle, and a host of other flea-beetles with very similar habits but 

 widely different food plants. 



According to Sharp, 1 who vouchsafes for its specific identity, it is a 

 late introduction, not being taken by Blackburn in his collecting here 

 jn the late seventies and early eighties. It is of American origin and 

 is generally distributed in the Southern States of the Union, in Mex- 

 ico, Central America, and the West Indies. Like some other tobacco 

 pests, it feeds on practically all the commoner solanaceous plants, and 

 is equally injurious to potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and poha. Both 



multiplication, else this pest would do widespread injury. In some 

 places there appears to be a seasonal occurrence, the beetle becoming 

 numerous and injurious only in the dry season; but in neglected 

 plantations, and especially in the neighborhood of other solanaceous 

 plants, it is commonly prevalent. The adult beetle is rather long 

 lived, but it should not on this account necessarily be more injurious, 

 as it is able to do without food for long periods. 



The difficult life history has been fully studied in America by Chit- 

 tenden, and the writer has not attempted to duplicate this work. 



Egg: The egg, according to Chittenden, 2 is narrow, elliptical-ovate, 

 two and one-half times as long as wide, color gray with scarcely a 



Pig. 8. — Epitrix parvula, the tobacco flea-beetle, 

 c, Adult beetle enlarged about fifteen times; &, 

 young larva; /, pupa; c, d, e, portions of the 

 larva greatly enlarged. (From Chittenden.) 



the larva and the adult beetle do 

 damage, but the characteristic in- 

 jury is the work of the adults on 

 the leaves. The beetles are small 

 and their mouth parts can grasp 

 only small fragments, but they are 

 assiduous feeders, so that the re- 

 sult of their feeding is often a 

 shattered foliage, ragged with spots 

 and holes and broken margins. 

 The larvse work beneath the sur- 

 face on the roots and crown, an 

 injury apparently of little conse- 

 quence, but noticeable in neglected 

 plants. No enemies have been dis- 

 closed, but, apparently, some factor 

 interferes to prevent its undue 



1 Fauna Uawaiiensis, vol. 2, pt. 3, p. 95, 1900. 



2 U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Ent. Bui. 19, n. ser., p. 86 (1899). 



