ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Jan., '22 



Chironomus braseniae, New Species (Dip., 

 Chironomidae). 



By ADELBERT L. LEATHERS, Agricultural College, 

 North Dakota. 



Chironomus braseniae h. sp. 



$'. Head, proboscis, palpi and basal joint of antennae yellow, eyes 

 black, antennal shaft and verticils brown. Antennae with 14 joints, 

 the terminal joint two-thirds as long as the rest of the antenna. 



Pronotum projecting laterally but not reaching the level of the meso- 

 notum dorsally. Mesonotum greenish yellow, translucent and some- 

 what pruinose; vittae of a light buff color. Scutellum and halteres 

 yellow ; metanotum and sternopleura buff color. Wings white, longi- 

 tudinal veins and cross veins not infuscated. Cubitus forking distinctly 

 beyond the cross vein ; the third and fourth longitudinal veins ending 

 about equally distant from the apex of the wing. Legs whitish, fore 

 tarsus not bearded, middle and hind tarsi densly bearded for their entire 

 length. Tibial comb darkened on all legs ; basal segment of fore tarsi 

 more than one-half longer than the tibia, proportions as 47 :30. Pulvilli 

 well developed, empodium narrow. 



Abdomen light green densely clothed with long yellow hairs. Seg- 

 ments without distinct fasciae. 



9 . Antennae yellow, apical joint slightly infuscated. Posterior 

 margins of the abdominal segments with a narrow whitish fascia. 

 Otherwise like the male. Length 3.5 to 4 mm. 



The type specimen is a male which was bred from a larva 

 inhabiting the leaves of Brasenia pcltata. The specimen was 

 obtained from Spencer Lake near the village of North Spencer, 

 New York, in July, 1915, and may be found in the collection 

 of the New T York State College of Agriculture, Ithaca, New- 

 York. The publication of this species at this time is due to the 

 recommendation of Prof. O. A. Johannsen, under whom I did 

 my minor work while at Cornell, 1915-1916. 



The larva has the unique habit of cutting grooves in the 

 foliage of a variety of aquatic plants, which have floating 

 leaves. The specific name is the same as the generic name of 

 the plant which the female seemed to favor. A more complete 

 discussion of the ecology of this species will be found in a 

 paper now in the hands of the Bureau of Fisheries, which 

 should soon be available to the public, under the title of "An 

 Ecological Study of the Chironomidae with Special Reference 

 to Their Feeding Habit s." 



