OBSERVATIONS ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE 
CHERRY LEAF BEETLE 
By Glenn W. Herrick, Entomologist , and Robert Matheson, Assistant Ento¬ 
mologist , Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station 
INTRODUCTION 
The cherry leaf beetle (Galerucella cavicollis Lee.), which attracted 
much attention during the season of 1915, is a native insect that has 
adopted several new food plants, at least in the beetle stage. Not since 
the first record of its work on cultivated plants, in 1894, has its injury 
been as great or as widespread as during the summer just past. It would 
seem that the early prediction of Davis (2), 1 who first recorded the beetle's 
work on cherry (Primus spp.), was about to be fulfilled, that as it was a 
northern and widespread species we might expect it to become increas¬ 
ingly injurious from year to year. 
HISTORICAL REVIEW 
The cherry leaf beetle was originally described by Le Conte in 1865 
(5, p. 216) from a single specimen received from North Carolina. Nothing 
further is recorded of this beetle till 1890, when Packard, who found this 
species in large numbers at Berlin Falls, N. H., eating holes in the leaves 
of wild cherry, probably the pin cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica), refers 
(7, p. 529) to it under the name “Galeruca sanguined” 
The next reference is by Davis (2), who reports it as being abundant 
at Bellaire, Mich., during the summer of 1894 and destroying the foliage 
of cultivated cherries. This is the first record of this beetle's attacking 
the foliage of cultivated trees, and Davis makes the suggestion that as 
this insect is a northern species it may yet become quite injurious. The 
larvae were found in this same locality; but it is not stated on what plants 
they were feeding, though the writer states that wild cherries were only 
a short distance away. 
Lintner (6) records this beetle as occurring in thousands on June 10, 
1895, at Ausable Forks, N. Y., feeding on the foliage of the cherry left 
uninjured by late frosts. He also states that his correspondent found 
this same insect at work early in July on the foliage of young chestnut 
trees, but that he did not verify this observation. 
Felt (3), in 1898, records outbreaks of this insect at Coming, N. Y., 
the beetles occurring in such numbers as to threaten the destruction of 
the trees. Smith was the first to record the occurrence of this beetle on 
peach, having found it in Pennsylvania during the summer of 1898. 
1 Reference is made by number to “Literature cited,” p. 949. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
ch 
(943) 
Vol. V, No. so 
Feb. 14, 1916 
N. Y. (Cornell)—2 
