Saldidae 3 11 



In the aquarium they deposit eggs on the side of the glass container 

 and on rocks, as well as on floating objects. Eggs have been deposited 

 in the laboratory during every month but December, with the peak of 

 production occurring during August and September. 



This species is predacious and cannibalistic. The adults will kill the 

 nymphs and the nymphs will kill each other. Consequently it is necessary 

 to remove the adults to new containers as fast as the eggs are ready 

 to hatch. Velia brachialis was found to differ in this respect, for a num- 

 ber of nymphs, or even a number of both nymphs and adults, have been 

 kept in the same aquarium with little danger of cannibalism developing. 



Velias, like Microvelias, feed upon the very small animals swimming 

 beneath the surface film as well as upon food particles on the surface. 

 The Velias are very leisurely in their feeding activities. They feed on 

 living, crippled, or dead insects placed on the surface of the water. The 

 adults do well on any insect food, while the nymphs thrive better on 

 cockroach nymphs than upon any other food. Many nymphs were reared 

 from hatching to maturity on a straight diet of cockroaches. The adults 

 have been fed on flies, nymphs and adults of cicadellids, cercopids and 

 mirids, grasshopper nymphs, adult Tribolium, Bruchus, Dermestes, and 

 larval forms such as Tenebrio, Mediterranean flour moth, and various 

 caterpillars. 



M. E. D. 



Family saldidae 



SALDULA MAJOR AND S. PALLIPES* 



NYMPHS of Saldula major, captured in June, transformed into 

 adults and mated by June 18. Newly laid eggs were found at the 

 base of a blade of grass on June 21. These hatched on July 3. The 

 nymphs liked to stay hidden most of the time, but would come out 

 readily to feed. 



Nymphs of Saldula pallipes (?), captured on June 1, became adults 

 and laid eggs before June 23. These were thrust in the stems and blades 

 of grass growing in the jars in which the saldids were confined. 



In all the rearings dead flies were used as food as well as other soft- 

 bodied insects, chiefly mirids and cicadellids, which were usually easy 

 to obtain in large numbers either by sweeping or at light at night. 



M. E. D. 



♦Abstracted from an article in Kan. Univ. Sci. Bull. 14:301, 1922, by Grace Olive 

 Wiley. 



