THE YELLOW-NECKED FLEA-BEETLE. 31 
from Louisiana, Texas, and Colorado. The writer has collected speci- 
mens from New York City and vicinity, the District of Columbia, 
Kosslyn, Ya., and Glen Echo, Md., and has seen a series from North 
Carolina. In the streets of New York he observed beetles under 
stones as early in the season as March 13. 
It has been recorded from as far inland as Cincinnati, Ohio, but it 
is apparently a maritime form, as it is not often found inland. It 
should be remarked that it is, like other flea-beetles, decidedly spas- 
modic as regards numbers. 
ECONOMIC STATUS. 
The economic status of this species is scarcely established. It is 
not at all unlikely that it may prove in time to be quite as injurious 
to beets and spinach, locally or seasonally in the Gulf States, as is its 
injurious congener, the spinach flea-beetle, throughout the North 
and in the Atlantic region. The latter, there can be no doubt, does 
much more injury annually than is attributed to it, for reasons 
which the writer has already expressed. When it attacks very 
small plants, especially in the larval stage, it may destroy them 
completely and then attack the roots. 
The following report on this species gives some details not covered 
by the preceding pages: 
REPORT BY H. O. MARSH. 
The beetles of Disonycha mellicollis were observed during the winter and spring of 
1909 to be quite common and injurious at Brownsville, Tex., and vicinity, feeding 
on beets, spinach, Amaranthus retrofiexus, A. spinosus, A. berlandieri, Chenopodium 
sp., Portulaca retusa, and P. oleracea. Injuries, from an economic standpoint, were 
confined to beets and spinach. 
January 26, the beetles were common on spinach and a few specimens were feeding 
on lettuce. The lettuce was in a row adjoining the infested spinach and it is more 
than probable that the beetles do not feed on this plant except in rare cases. 
Following a "norther" in January a number of beetles were found under dry cow 
"chips" where they had gone for protection. Several females had deposited their 
eggs under these; doubtless because they were unable to retain them until reaching a 
more suitable place. In most cases these eggs were a considerable distance from any 
food and the larvse, on hatching, must certainly have starved. During this month 
eggs were found in the soil at the base of amaranth plants, placed in clusters quite 
close to the surface. 
March 6, the beetles occurred in considerable numbers on spinach and-beets, the 
leaves of which they had badly riddled; a few were present also on lettuce. Many 
were mating and eggs were found. No larva? were observed. Females confined 
March 6 deposited a large number of eggs on March 7, which hatched on the 17th. 
During April the beetles were fairly common and were scattered on several food 
plants. Purslane seemed to be the favorite wild plant, April 2, nearly mature 
larvse were observed in some numbers on the underside of spinach leaves. 
May 10 the adults occurred in moderate numbers and were feeding in company 
with Disonycha abbreviata Melsh. on the tender foliage of Amaranthus retrofiexus and 
