UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 
L. O. HOWARD, Chief 
e DON 
WYSE 
NO 
Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER October 2, 1916 
THE EGGPLANT TORTOISE BEETLE. 
By Tuos. H. Jonss, 
Entomological Assistant, Truck-Crop and Stored-Product Insect Investigations. 
INTRODUCTION. 
During the spring of 1915 the larva of a tortoise beetle, Cassida 
pallidula Boh., was observed in injurious numbers on the foliage of 
young eggplant and on the leaves of Irish potato at Baton Rouge, 
La. While injury to eggplant by this species was mentioned by 
Riley, under the name of Cassida terana Cr., as early as 1882 (2), 
and while other writers have referred to its presence on wild Sola- 
nums, no comprehensive article regarding it has been published. 
During 1915 the writer, assisted by Mr. C. E. Smith, of the Bureau of 
Entomology, kept the insect under observation at Baton Rouge, La., 
studying its life history and habits and conducting control experi- 
ments with insecticides. Although the species has not been found 
to be a pest of first-class importance to the plants which it attacks, it 
is apparent that it is, at times at least, destructive enough to its cul- 
tivated hosts to warrant the use of insecticides for its control. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
The species is somewhat widely distributed over the more southern 
portions of the United States. Riley (2) has recorded it from south- 
ern Texas and Washington, D. C., Coquillett (4) reported its presence 
in California, and Blatchley (6) lists it in his ‘‘Coleoptera of Indiana.”’ 
It also occurs in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and 
Arizona (7, 8). 
HOST PLANTS. 
Riley (2, 3) has recorded it as feeding on Solanum elaeagmfolvum, 
S. carolinense, and eggplant, and Coquillett (4) found it on Solanum 
zanti in California. Wickham (5) has stated that he saw it feeding 
on Solanum in the lower Rio Grande Valley. At Baton Rouge, La., 
it has been found on Solanum curolinense, eggplant, and Irish potato. 
1 Figures in parenthesis refer to ‘‘ Bibliography,”’ p. 8. 
55499°—Bull. 422——16 
