194 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS !'- '22 



relationship. This theory, 2 that the native bays were the nat- 

 ural host for the camphor thrips, was held for some time. 

 However, the results of this investigation have shown that the 

 thrips on the bay, although identical in many respects with the 

 camphor thrips, is a new species distinct from C. floridcnsis. 

 The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to describe this new 

 bay thrips and give its biological habits and other points of 

 interest. 3 



DESCRIPTION OF BAY THRIPS. 

 Cryptothrips laureli n. sp. (Plate IX, A, B, C.) 



Close to C. floridensis Watson, but differs in the following charac- 

 ters : general size, color and length of antennae ; relative shape and size 

 of third antennal segment ; stronger spines on head, thorax and ab- 

 domen ; number of doubled hairs on fringe of wings. Also in color 

 and appearance of eggs, color of larvae, feeding habits, preferred host 

 plants, general biological habits, such as length of instars, reproductive 

 methods, etc. 



General color almost uniformly glossy black; tarsi dark brown; an- 

 tennae dark brown to black with exception of segment three, which is 

 clear yellow. 



Average measurements: Total length of insect, exclusive of antennae, 

 2.7 mm. ; head, length .34 mm., width .25 mm. ; prothorax, length .23 

 mm., width .44 mm. ; mesothorax, width .54 mm. ; abdomen, greatest 

 width .57 mm. ; tube, length .25 mm. ; width at base .084 mm. 



Antennae: 1, 37.1 microns; 2, 58.8 microns; 3, 107.1 microns; 4, 

 94.2 microns ; 5, 85.4 microns ; 6, 75.6 microns ; 7, 67.2 microns ; 8, 

 36.8 microns; total length .56 mm. 



Head nearly one and one-half times as long as wide, cylindrical, 

 sides almost straight and parallel ; one rather prominent spine back of 

 each eye. Eyes dark brown, rather large and prominent, finely facetted, 

 not pilose. Ocelli present, concolorous with eyes, inconspicuous. Mouth- 

 cone blunt, reaching nearly across the pronotum. Antennae with eight 

 segments, almost twice as long as head; first two segments heavy, third 

 segment long and slender in proportion to the others ; segments one 

 and two concolorous with the' head, segment three clear yellow, seg- 

 ment four light brown at base and shading into darker brown toward 

 the tip, remaining segments dark brown or black ; bristles and sense- 

 cones thick. 



Prothorax short, slightly shorter than the width of the head, widest 



3 Watson, J. R. "The Native Host-Plant of the Camphor Thrips." 

 In "Florida Buggist," Vol. ITT. No. 2, p. 25, 1919. 



3 The writer is jndcbted to Mr. W. W. Yothers, under whose direction 

 this work was done, for many valuable suggestions in accomplishing it. 



