20 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 



[Jan., '20 



An Unusual case of Parasitism on Clastoptera 



obtusa Say (Hemip., Cercopidae; Dip., 



Drosophilidae).* 



By W. J. BAERG, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 



In the summer of 1917, during the first two weeks in July, 

 when I was collecting the nymphal stages of Clastoptera 

 obtiisa on alder, Alnns americana, I found the spittle masses 

 produced bv these nymphs inhabited by small dipterous 

 larvae. Many of these larvae I found attached to the nymphs 

 of the Clastoptera. Some of them I found lying around 

 loose in the spittle masses. As a rule I found but one dip- 

 terous maggot to one spittle mass. No maggots were found 

 outside of the spittle. 



On taking one 

 of the maggots 

 and placing it 

 near a Clas- 

 toptera nymph, 

 it would immedi- 

 ately proceed to 

 attach itself on 

 the side of the 

 abdomen and 

 then bring up its 

 caudal end and 

 place it on the 

 back of the 

 nymph. See 

 the accompany- 

 ing text-figure. 



The maggots attach themselves by means of the mandibu- 

 lar hooks. As a rule I found but one maggot attached to 

 one host, in a few instances I found two maggots attached 

 to one -nymph. The place of attachment on the spittle 



* From the Entomological Laboratory of Cornell University, Ithaca' 

 New York. 



