84 PROCEEDINGS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



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H. Weld of the faculty of Evanston Academy, Evanston, 111., a 

 large lot of berries of the 1916 crop were received from Evanston, 

 but these were apparently uninfested. A large lot of the berries 

 of the purple fruited Amelanchier oligocarpa were also received 

 from Mr. Brooks, who had collected them in the mountains of 

 Tucker Co., W. Va. No infestation was found in this lot. 



HABITS OF SYNTOMASPIS. 



The adults of Syntomaspis emerge in the spring from two to 

 three weeks later than Megastigmus. At this time the berries 

 are nearly full grown, and the seeds are beginning to harden. 

 Oviposition takes place during the latter part of June, and the 

 insect passes the winter as a somewhat contracted larva within 

 the seed. 



LARVAE OF MEGASTIGMUS AND SYNTOMASPIS. 



The larvae of the two species (Plate X, fig. a Megastigmus and 

 fig. c Syntomaspis) are superficially very similar. Both are 

 stout, white, footless grubs about 2.5 to 3 mm. long, tapering 

 toward each end and curved toward the venter, that of Mega- 

 stigmus being much the more strongly so. Both have spiracles 

 on the anterior edges of the mesothoracic and metathoracic and 

 first seven abdominal segments. The most striking difference 

 between the larvae is found in the mandibles. As stated above 

 those of Syntomaspis are edentate while those of Megastigmus 

 have a series of strong teeth on the inner margin. The normal 

 number of teeth is four, but occasionally one mandible in a pair 

 has but three teeth, sometimes regularly spaced and sometimes as 

 though there were four with the second tooth missing. The 

 mandibles articulate with chitinous structures on the inner sur- 

 face of the integument. In Megastigmus these are broad and 

 strongly angulate at the outer superior and inferior angles. In 

 Syntomaspis they are narrow and nearly semicircular without 

 strong angulations. In making slide mounts of these structures 

 it is difficult to maintain the normal position and relations, and 

 the accompanying figures (Plate I, figs, b and d) drawn from slide 

 mounts do not show them as they actually appear from a surface 

 view of the face of the larva. 



PUPA OF MEGASTIGMUS. 



The pupa of the Syntomaspis has never been seen. That of the 

 female of Megastigmus (Plate X, fig. e) is short with the head bent 

 downwards and with the legs, antennae, and wing pads folded 

 along the sides and venter in the manner usual with hymenop- 

 terous pupae. The ovipositor is curved upward close to the back 



