Vol. 32, pp. 185-186 September 30, 1919 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



FITCH'S THORN LEAF APHIS. 

 BY A. C. BAKER. 



The publication by Quaintance and Baker 1 of a brief refer- 

 ence to Aphis crataegefoliae Fitch has called forth a number of 

 inquiries by entomologists in regard to this name and that of 

 brevis Sanderson. The facts are as follows: 



In 1851 Fitch 2 described his Aphis crataegefoliae and his type 

 specimens are now in the U. S. National Museum Collection. 

 They have been removed from the pins and mounted in balsam 

 and consist of alate viviparous females in rather poor condition. 

 The species can, however, be easily determined from these types. 

 It is the species found commonly curling the leaves of Crataegus 

 in the Eastern United States and it is met with quite frequently 

 also upon fruit trees. It proves to have a long beak and in 

 this character is distinguishable from Aphis bakeri Co wen. 



Recently Dr. Edith M. Patch 3 has published an account of 

 two clover Aphids and has discussed the two species under the 

 names Aphis brevis Sanderson and Aphis bakeri Cowen. Miss 

 Patch was unable to obtain the types of Aphis brevis. The collec- 

 tions at that time were in Mr. Pergande's care. After Per- 

 gande's death, when the writer rearranged the National Museum 

 Collection, he located Sanderson's types. Unfortunately these 

 are sexes and a direct comparison with the Fitch types is there- 

 fore not possible. Reared sexes, however, have been compared 

 with Sanderson's slides and alate forms of this same lot with the 

 Fitch slides, and it is evident that the two are the same and 



i Farmers' Bulletin, U. S. D. A., No. 804. 



2 Cat. Horn. N. Y. State Cab., p. 66. 



3 Journal of Research, Vol. Ill, p. 431. 



37— Pboc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 32, 1919. (185) 



