THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 223 



the largest percentage and Hymenoptera the smallest. This is 

 not strange, considering the fact that all species of the Homoptera 

 are plant-feeders, while the Hymenoptera consists of both bene- 

 ficial and injurious forms, with the beneficial ones largely in the 

 majority. 



The Orthoptera, with its 3.2 per cent of destructive species, 

 also contains a large majority which feed upon vegetation. While 

 most Lepidopterous larvae feed upon foliage, yet the fact that 

 many feed upon plants and trees not under cultivation by man, 

 or occur in small numbers, brings the percentage down to 2.7. 



The Hemiptera are plant feeders, with numerous exceptions; 

 predatory and injurious forms are abundant in the Coleoptera, 

 while the Diptera contains predacious and beneficial species and 

 feeders upon animal and vegetable tissues. In these three Orders 

 the percentages of destructive species are nearly the same. 



While the number of species affecting one kind of plant is 

 often large — for instance, Folsom gives 200 attacking Indian corn, 

 400 the apple, and the oaks 1,000 — yet it may be safely said that 

 the insect losses in the State of New Jersey, running as they do 

 well into the millions, are due to the pernicious activities of 186 

 species, some of which are and any one of which may become 

 notably abundant. 



SYNONYMICAL NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN 



SCIOMYZID^:. 



J. R. MALLOCH, URBANA, ILLINOIS.* 



Sepedon macropus Walker 

 This species is identical with S. nigriventris v. d. Wulp, so 

 that the latter name must be dropped as a synonym. I have 

 examined a number of specimens from Brownsville, Texas, and 

 Tampico, Mexico, which agree with the description given by 

 Walker and that given by van der Wulp so closely that there is 

 no reason to consider them as other than the same species. The 

 specimens which I have examined are in the collection of the 

 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History. The Brownsville 

 specimens were collected by C. A. Hart. 



"■Contribution from Illinois Laboratory of Natural History. 

 September, 1914 



