1919.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, 91 



Distribution. — In the maritime region from southern New Jersey 

 (as far north as Ocean City), south to the Florida Keys (Long 

 Key, Big Pine Key), and northwestward along the coast of western 

 Florida as far as Cedar Keys. The species has also been reported 

 from the Brownsville region (Caudell) and Eagle Pass (Scudder), 

 Texas, but we know the former is incorrect, really referring to 

 M. maculipennis maculipennis, and the latter is in all probability 

 an erroneous association, as extensive field work by Rehn and 

 Hebard in that region, and in the whole stretch of Gulf territory 

 intervening between the Rio Grande and Cedar Keys has failed 

 to bring the species to light. 



Biological Notes. — This species is distinctly hygrophilous, found 

 in both fresh and salt marsh situations, occasionally straying into 

 adjacent dune vegetation. Its preference is for coarse high grasses 

 and reeds in open marsh or marshy depressions, occasionally in 

 more strictly bog conditions (Belleplain) or narrow wet drains 

 (Pablo Beach), while it has been taken in dry areas of low oak, 

 bayberry, palmetto and briars among dunes near extensive salt 

 marsh areas (Isle of Palms), and also in bayberry tangles on sand 

 dunes in New Jersey (Cape May). Morse^^ has well said: "It 

 is a shy and active species, flying freely and far, and on alighting 

 dodges quickly around the grass stems to escape observation, 

 or slipping nimbly downward and backward, seeks to hide itself." 



Adults of this species have been taken as early as July 6 (Big 

 Pine Keys, Florida) and as late as November 15 (Punta Gorda, 

 Florida), while immature specimens have been taken as early as 

 March 13 (Long Key, Florida) and as late as September 19 to 20 

 (Big Pine Key). From the northern portion of the range of the 

 species we have no data on captures of adults earlier than August 9 

 (Ocean City, Virginia), and from New Jersey, August 18 to 22 

 is the earliest period, while September 24 is our latest date for 

 the same region (Cape May Point). These northern records 

 probably do not represent actual extremes either way, certainly 

 not for last captures, but they are sufficient to show a season for 

 adults some months longer in Florida than at the northern ex- 

 tremity of the range. Adults taken July 6 at Big Pine Key, Flor- 

 ida, were secured with immature individuals in the three instars 

 preceding maturity. From the fact that Davis secured immature 

 material at the same place September 19 to 20, with adults, it 



=9 Publ. No. 18, Carneg. Inst., p. 29, (1904). 



