17 
THE BANDED FL.EA-BEETI.E. 
{Systena txniata Say. ) 
The banded flea-beetle also frequentl}^ attacks beets, beans, and 
other vegetables, particularly in the West and Southwest. It has simi- 
lar habits to the preceding species and similar structure; it was, in 
fact, until quite recently very generally confused 
with the pale-striped form, and many references 
to injuries b}^ this species are really due to the 
latter. Like the latter it varies considerably as 
regards color and punctation. It is polished black, 
with white stripes. A common dark form of the 
beetle is shown in iig-ure 9.^' 
THE RED-HEADED FLEA-BEETIiE. 
{Si/stena frontalis Fab. ) 
Fig. 9. — Systena txniata, 
This species (fig. 10) resembles in its habits the ^^'^ variety-about e 
^ ^ . . times natural size (au- 
two flea-beetles that have just been mentioned. thor's illustration, Di- 
Its color is shining black throughout except the vision of Entomology). 
major portion of the head, which is red. It has been known as an 
enemy of beets since 1891. It also attacks potato and beans, but is 
not restricted to vegetable crops, being quite fond of the foliage of 
fruits, including grape, gooseberr^^, pear, and 
others. It inhabits practically the entire arable 
region east of the Rock}^ Mountains, including 
southern Canada and the Southern States (Bui. 
33, n. s., Div. Ent., pp. 111-113). 
THE SMARTWEED FLEA-BEETLE. 
{Systena hudsonias Forst. ) 
From the red-headed flea-beetle this differs in 
being uniformly shining black. Otherwise the 
two species are very similar. Taken all in all, it 
is perhaps the most abundant of the flea-beetles 
which have been mentioned, but, although it shows 
a fondness for a number of crop plants^ including sugar beet, potato, 
grape, beans, and sweet corn, it is much more confined to weeds 
(L. c, pp. 113-114). 
The larval habits of the three species last mentioned have not been 
positively ascertained, but there is little doubt that they will be found 
to be much the same as those of the pale-striped flea- beetle, since the 
beetles of all of them occur in greatest numbers on the same species 
of weeds, and, even when occurring in moderate abundance, seem to 
show little preference. 
Fig. 10.— Systena frontalis— 
much enlarged (author's 
illustration, Division of 
Entomology) . 
«This and the preceding species are discussed in Bui. 23, n. s., Div. Ent., p. 23. 
10697— No. 1:3—03 -2 
