Vol. xxi] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 265 



Notes on Three Species of Jassidae. 



By R. L. WEBSTER, Ames, Iowa. 



During the past year (1909), while making a study of the 

 life history of the apple leaf hopper, Bmpoasca ma'i, some notes 

 were made on two allied species also. Those obsc rvations con- 

 cerning the apple leaf hopper will appear more a v . length in a 

 forthcoming bulletin of the Iowa Agricultural Exp eriment Sta- 

 tion, and hence will be given only brief attention here. The 

 two other species under observation were Empoasca obtusa and 

 Typhlocyba rosae. The notes were made mostly during May, 

 1909, at Shenandoah, Iowa. 



Empoasca obtusa Walsh. 



Early in May, Jassid egg pouches were found in the bark of 

 Carolina poplar trees at Shenandoah. These pouches closely 

 resembled those of Empoasca mali and were supposed to belong 

 to that species until the rearing of the insects proved otherwise. 

 The pouches were found in wood two or three years old, which 

 on poplar trees is comparatively soft wood. 



On May 12, and for several days following, the first nymphs 

 were found on these trees. In one instance the head of a dead 

 nymph was seen protruding from one of the egg pouches. The 

 young nymphs were characterized by dull reddish tibiae and 

 tarsi. The eyes and antennae were red brown, the body was 

 pale and the abdomen yellowish. They differ considerably 

 from the nymphs of Empoasca mali, which are entirely pale 

 when first born. The first stage nymphs of that species are 

 also slightly smaller than those of the species under considera- 

 tion. Older nymphs found upon poplar showed plainly brown- 

 ish marks on the three thoracic segments, on either side of the 

 meson. 



Several nymphs from the poplar trees were taken to the in- 

 sectary at Ames and placed in cages on willow twigs. Nymph- 

 became adult May 31 and June i, and were determined as the 

 above species. 



On a clump of willow trees near Shenandoah, May 13, I 

 found nymphs of Empoasca obtusa in large numbers hatching 



