. Elements of zoology, to accompany the field and laboratory study of animals. Zoology. THE BEETLE 73. shape. They lay their eggs upon the leaves of plants. The larvae feed on the leaves or burrow in the stem. Usuallj' the larva is conspicuously colored and exposed, and relies for i:)rotec- tion upon its disagreeable odor and taste. The most destruc- tive species to agricultm'e in the northern United States is the ten-hned Colorado potato-beetle. Until about 1859 this species fed upon the sand-bur, at the east- ern base of the Rocky iMountains and south into Mexico. With the advent of settlers
. Elements of zoology, to accompany the field and laboratory study of animals. Zoology. THE BEETLE 73. shape. They lay their eggs upon the leaves of plants. The larvae feed on the leaves or burrow in the stem. Usuallj' the larva is conspicuously colored and exposed, and relies for i:)rotec- tion upon its disagreeable odor and taste. The most destruc- tive species to agricultm'e in the northern United States is the ten-hned Colorado potato-beetle. Until about 1859 this species fed upon the sand-bur, at the east- ern base of the Rocky iMountains and south into Mexico. With the advent of settlers and the planting of the cultivated potato (a native of Mexico), this more thrifty, cultivated species was adopted as its foodplant, and the jiotato- beetle began its eastern migra- tion. It spread slowly at first, but within fifteen years had reached the Atlantic coast. The little red, yellow, and black asparagus beetle; the yellow, black-striped cucumber and melon Ijeetle, and the tortoise-l^eetle, whose , iridescent, translucent eljrtra are consi)icuous on the leaves of the morning-glory, nettle, and other plants, all belong to this family. So long has become our list of destructive beetles that it is with satisfaction that we turn at the end to a family which is almost wholly beneficial to the vegetable kingdom as well as to most vegetable-feeders, including man. This is the lady- bird family (Coc'Vinel'lida)^). These beetles hunt their prey both in the larval and adult stages, feeding upon small insects and insect eggs (Figs. 82 and 83). They are especially active in freeing plants from scale-insects and plant-lice. So rapidly ' From Greek kokkos, kerry. Fig. 80. — Orthosoma hrimnenm, the straight-bodied Prionid. Brown color. Nat. size. Photo, by W'. H. C. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the ori
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1911
