The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-15
lantic in about fourteen wears.

lantic in about fourteen years.
1t may perhaps be worth stating here, that
my own experience is that these insects pre-
fer the the Egg plant to the Potato. and it is
Tomato. Now the Egg-plant is botanically
more closely related to the SoIanam rostra
tun, on which the insect feeds in Colorado,
than ID the Potato, the two former being COW
cred with thorny prickles and the latter be-
ing smooth and on the other hand the Pota-
to is much moro nearly related to the Sotdn-
um rOstratum than is the Tomato, which last
has by modern botanists been removed from
the genus SOlaHum and placed in genius by
itself. 1t would seem therefore, that the
closer a plant comes to the naural food-plant
of the insect, the better it likes it.
DIR. Fitch, in his Article on this Insect,
published In the Transactions of the Neo
York State Agricultural Society for 1868, (pp.
796-S0l asserts that ''it has fallen upon
the potato-vines In numerous places all ocer
the North Western States" and Mr.. Cyrus
Thomas, as quoted by DR.. Fitch. says that"it
was found In abundance in Southern Illinois"
previous to 1861. But both these gentlemen
contound together two perfectly distinct, but
very closely allied species, the Doryphord
juncta of German and the Doyyphora l0.lin-
eatd of Say, one of which was really found
in Southern Illinois previous to 1861, while
the other was not, and one of which has new
er been known to attack the potato while the
other habitually does so. The former OF these
was first described by German in 1924 from
specimens which he had received from Geor
gia, and was received by DR.. LeConte from
the same State ten or twelve years ago. In
1864 DR.. Helmuth of Chicago took this same
species near Cairo, H.; and In 1861 Mr.. Chas.
Some of Chicago captured very numerous
specimens of it in bingham Co, III. ,on hick-
DRY bushes, which they appeared to him to be
| feeding on. The latter species, which is the
true potato bug,was never taken by any one,
so far as | can find out, east of the Mississlp-
pi river till 1864, and was first discovered by
Say in 1928 in the regions bordering on the
Upper Missouri river, and Is quoted by DR..
LeConte and Rogers as being peculiar to
Texas, Kansas and Nebraska. That DIR.
Fitch has COMPOUNDED these two insects is
proved out of his own mouth; for he express
| ly states that they are Synonymous, Trans.
&c. p. 797 } although seven years before he
wrote Rogers had pointed out the cipal
distinctions between them. Proc. Acad, Nat
! Sc 1856 p. 30.) That Mr.. Thomas must have
confounded them is indicated by the fact, that
he says that this species "occurs In South
! Illinois only on worthless weeds and low
shrubs, and here it has not proven injurious
! to useful vegetation; whence he infers' that
it is only accidental that 1t has fallen upon
| the potatoes" in Iowa, and that "some peOu'
| larity of che plants, state OF the atmosphere,
or other influence may next year cause 1t to
! forsake the potato and take up its residence
upon some other plent."-( Trans, &c, p.
| 1917
! So closely indeed do these two insects re-
/ semble one another at first sight, that the
Melsheimer Catalogue in 1853, and probably
/ Thos. Say in 1924. considered them as
mere varieties of one and the same species, -
Yet each has it's own peculiar characters-
and one Of them, at all events and probably
I both, are limited to distinct botanical iami-
/ IL of plants and can iced on no other. Fox
| the benefit of those who are curious in such
matters, | suhjoin a table of the principal
| points of difference between the two species,
which has been drawn up from comparison
of numerous specimens of each.
/ ID. juncta-S specimens Id. IO-Iineata - 90
from Ar. Some. specimens,