Jan. 5, 1924 
The Argus Tortoise Beetle 
49 
many larvae and adults of this tortoise beetle. The vines were also well 
covered with pupae from which the adults were beginning to issue. 
July 28, Miss Julia D. Whiting, Deerfield, Mass., sent specimens found on 
morning-glory, including larvae with the nymphs of the pentatomid 
predacious enemy Apateticus bracteatus Fitch. The same year Fred¬ 
erick Knab (7, p. 152) wrote a short note on the nuptial colors of this 
species. 
July 15, 1910, report was received from F. H. Horsford that the pupa 
was found on the lower side of the leaves of Lilium henryi at Charlotte, 
Vt. 
July 13, 1911, Fabian Garcia, Agricultural College, N. Mex., reported 
attack on sweet potato. July 2, 1913, F. B. Milliken collected this 
species at Garden City, Kans., on bush morning-glory ( Ipomoea lep - 
tophylla ). 
In 1916, H. S. Barber (7, p. up) included this species in a review of 
North American tortoise beetles, summing up briefly the habits of the 
species as published and furnishing a map showing its distribution. 
May 16, 1917, J. A. Hanchey, Allen Parish, La., reported attack on 
sweet potato, the plants looking as though fire had gone through them. 
This, however, was only in spots and did not extend through entire 
fields. 
During 1919 this insect, as previously stated, attracted much atten¬ 
tion. It was first noticed attacking sweet potato at Arlington, Va., when 
full grown larvae were observed. June 28, 1920, a farm hand at Arling¬ 
ton, Va., noticed it on sweet potato and expressed the usual apprehension 
of injury. 
July 2i, 1922, Prof. H. F. Wilson, Madison, Wis., reported this species 
as being very common in Wisconsin and as creating considerable appre¬ 
hension. Later he wrote that reports of damage were obviously erroneous 
and that the insect was not in reality a pest jn that State. 
NATURAL ENEMIES 
The United States Bureau of Entomology has records of three natural 
enemies of this tortoise beetle; an egg parasite, a larval parasite, and a 
predacious bug. 
Emersonella niveipes Girault. 4 —From egg masses collected by Miss 
Van Horn in the District of Columbia June 28, 1919, Emersonella niveipes 
Gir., a minute chalcidoid, began emerging July 12, 1919. From eggs 
collected by the writer September 5, 13 of these parasites emerged from 
one egg mass consisting of 19 eggs, in each case issuing from a round hole 
on one side near the top of the egg. 
Masicera exilis Coquillett.—During July of 1907 several mature larvae 
were observed in the District of Columbia on sweet potato leaves, from 
which the tachinid fly Masicera exilis issued July 19 to 29. July 2, 1919, 
the same species was reared from a larva from Arlington, Va. 
Apateticus bracteatus Fitch.—July 26, 1909, Miss Julia D. Whiting, 
Deerfield, Mass., sent specimens of a large pentatomid bug, Apateticus 
bracteatus (fig. 4), which were observed attacking the larva of the Argus 
tortoise beetle in that vicinity. The nymphs transformed to adults 
August 4 to 7. 
4 Determined by A. B. Gahan. 
73430—24-4 
