The Ciikrky FKun-FLY. 



33 



Possible Nx\tukal Food-Plants of the Insect. 

 If this clieny fruit-fly turns out to be the well-known apple-mag- 

 got fly, then, of conrse, its native or original food-plant is the haw- 

 thorn. But if this new cherry pest is Rhagoletis cmgiilaUi^ or some 

 insect other than the apple maggot, then we must look to the native 

 species of wild cherries, or possibly wild plums, and also to the species 

 of Berheris and Lonicera for its natural food-plants. The /atter 

 plants are mentioned as possible native food-plants of the Ameri- 

 can cherry fruit-fly because the European cherry fruit-fly is known 

 to breed in several species of Berheris and Lonicera. 



The Story of Its Life. 



Having first made the acquaintance of this new cherry pest only 

 about two months ago, we have had, therefore, no opportunity to 

 follow it through its yearly life-cycle. Hence we are unable to tell 

 the story of its life in detail. 



How it sjyends the iimiter. — The insect doubtless spends the win- 

 ter in the soil, usually not more than an inch below the surface, in 

 the condition shown, natural size and much enlarged in figure 15. 

 It is a dark brown, 

 lifeless-looking ob- 

 ject known as a^j>i^- 

 jparium. Within | 

 this liard, stiif, , 

 brown shell which I 

 is really the con- [ 

 tracted and liar- | 

 dened skin of the 

 maggot, the insect 

 cliano-es from a 

 maggot to a ])upa. 

 Whether the pupa 

 is formed before 

 spring, we cannot 

 yet say. 



Emergence in the spring. — During the spring months the trans- 

 formation from a pupa to the adult insect — the pretty little fly shown 



3 



r 



•■rfrf-^Jr. < ^J-_."-^-- ' ^ -:; Aggtajrijg^--^ 



15._ Dorsal and ventral vteict of the puparia of the clierrif 

 fruit-fly. Natural size and enlarged. 



