118 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vor. 08 



DIASTROPHUS BASSETTII Beutenmueller 



The gall of this species, produced at the crown of the trailing 

 blackberry, has been collected at Kosslyn and East Falls Church. Va., 

 and at Glen Echo (J. C. Bridwell), Md. The galls are full grown 

 before end of August. Only guests Avere reared. Beutenmueller 

 has taken galls at Tenafly, N, J., adults emerging June 20. 



DIASTROPHUS FRAGARIAE Beutenmueller 



This species producing a spindle-shaped gall on the petiole of 

 wild strawberry leaf was described from males only. The female 

 is here described. 



Female. — Face with radiating ridges, malar space about .7 

 eye, interocular space .6 transfacial and area one and six-tenths 

 times as broad as high, antenna 13-segmented, lengths as (scape) 

 13:7:13:13:12:12:11:11:10:9:9:9:16, last with transverse 

 groove on one side, incompletely dividing it in proportion of 7:9. 

 Pronotum with a median transversely elliptical truncation. Meso- 

 scutum broader than long, highly polished, bare except for a few 

 hairs scattered along parapsidal grooves which are deep and percur- 

 rent. Scutellum rugose, with two large pits at base. Propodeum 

 with a network of fine ridges in place of usual carinae. Radial cell 

 open, three and six-tenths times as long as broad, first abscissa of 

 radius arcuate, second nearly as long as third abscissa of cubitus, no 

 areolet, hind tarsus shorter than tibia, claws toothed. Legs about 

 same color -as antennae. Abdomen black, length to height to width 

 as 87 : G5 : 58. Lengths of tergites along dorsal curvature as 

 2 : 39 : 19 : 10 : : : 12, hypopygium projecting back farther than the 

 tergites, ventral spine very short. Using width of head as a base 

 the length of mesonotum ratio is 1.3, antenna 2.48, wing 3.7, ovi- 

 positor 1.7. 



Length, 2.3-2.7 mm. Average of five specimens, 2.5 mm. 



Biology.— The galls are usually seen in June and July when if 

 gathered they are too immature to rear. One may either mark the 

 spot and come back in the fall or early spring for the galls or trans- 

 plant the affected plants to home garden wdiere it can be easily 

 found. The writer transplanted to a city back yard two plants with 

 galls found at Fort Sheridan, 111., July 16, 1917. In the fall after 

 the foliage had turned brown the galls were put in a breeding cage 

 and left out-of-doors all winter. The flies emerged June 2, 1918. 

 The writer has also seen galls at Glencoe and Kenilworth. TIL, and at 

 East Falls Church, Va. The unpublished Walsh journal records 

 finding the gall at Rock Island, 111., on August 27, 1866. A speci- 

 men from Kingston, Rhode Island, was sent to Bureau of Ento- 

 mology for determination. Brodie records the gall at Toronto in 

 1887, i891, and in 1893 reared producers May 18-25. 



