Doering: Lepyronia quadrangularis. 519 



HABITAT. 



Lepyronia quadrangularis is usually associated with weed patches, 

 and therefore might truly be called a weed insect. Yet its habitat is 

 not quite so general as this would imply. Neither adults nor 

 nymphs can be taken on every weed patch one runs across in col- 

 lecting, but seems to be found only in particular places. The se- 

 lected spots usually occur near woods or thickets. It has been taken 

 in thickets where weeds have sprung up in open spaces, by the road- 

 sides adjoining woods or thickets, and on the weeds growing at the 

 edge of a wheat field and on the wheat itself. They were found in 

 most abundance, however, in a weed patch occupying half of a city 

 block. This plot offered a variety of host plants and shelter, such 

 as dogwood and elm sprouts, and large patches of sweet-clover, rag- 

 weed and grasses; in fact, most of the collecting necessary for this 

 work was done at this place, and several thousands of spittle insects 

 must have been taken here. 



HIBERNATION AND SPRING APPEARANCE. 



Ball (1920) stated that all Cercopidse except one overwinter in 

 the egg stage. Having this idea in mind when these studies were 

 started, it was expected that the adults soon after emerging would 

 mate, the female lay her eggs, and the overwintering form be easily 

 obtained. The matter, however, was not as simple as this. During 

 the summer of 1921 adults were observed in the field until August, 

 but no mating or oviposition took place. The following spring, 

 toward the latter part of April, eggs were sought in the field, but 

 none could be found. On April 29 the first instars were found. At 

 this time Mr. C. H. Curran gave the writer two adult females which 

 he had collected on April 1 and April 4. He stated that toward the 

 latter part of March and April adults had been quite abundant. 

 This evidence seemed to point to the supposition that the adults 

 might overwinter. Throughout the summer adults were closely ob- 

 served in both the field and laboratory. During August and Sep- 

 tember adults were very abundant, an average of fifty being taken 

 in an hour's collecting. On September 27, seventy-five adults were 

 taken; on October 9, sixty; and October 19, thirty. In one of the 

 outside cages four adults were observed on November 23. These 

 late occurrences were due, no doubt, to the very late season, which 

 prolonged vegetation as well as insect life. 



In the late fall, after mating had taken place, an experiment was 

 attempted for the purpose of obtaining a premature oviposition. 



