Natural Enemies of the Citrus Plant Lice 

 CHRYSOPID.E 



Chrysopa californica Coq. 

 CALIFORNIA GREEN LACE WING OR APHIS LION 



One of the most common insect predators, preying on all sorts of soft bodied 

 insects, is the common green lace wing, called Aphis Lion because of its destruct- 

 iveness to all plant lice (aphids). The eggs, larvae, pupee and adults are to be 

 found everywhere in the fields, woods and orchards ; wherever there are infesta- 

 tions of plant lice one is almost sure to find the larva of the Chrysopa. In the 

 citrus orchards of Southern California they are very abundant and play an im- 

 portant part in the control of many bad pests, but more important in keeping 

 down the aphids which have already been described. When there is no prey in 

 the orchards they go to the fields and brush to seek other game and return as soon 

 as the lice begin to appear. The part played by this insect in an economic way 

 certainlj' justifies a short description here in connection with the predaceous 

 Coecinellids and Syrphid Flies. 



Eggs — (Figure 197 B). The eggs are very small, pearly white in color, 

 oblong in shape with the base drawn out to connect with a fine hair or pedestal 

 which supports it nearly half an inch above the surface to which the hair is 

 attached. The egg itself is not more than one-eighth of an inch in length. The 

 adult insect has no doubt employed the method of placing her eggs on long stalks 

 for the purpose of putting them out of the reach of other crawling insects which 

 would otherwise devour them. They are deposited singly or sometimes in small 

 groups on the upper sides of the leaves, or in fact on most any part of a tree, 

 plant, or any other support. 



Larva — (Figure 197 A). When first hatched the larva is, of course, very 

 small, but grows very rapidly. The first born var}' from a very light yellow to a 

 gray color. As soon as it leaves the egg the search for food. is begun and appar- 

 (^ntly there are few insects which escape its appetite. At first only the very 

 youngest plant lice are devoured, but it is not long before insects twice and three 

 times as large as the chrysopid larva are destroyed. The full-grown larva varies 

 from half to nearly a full inch in length, is bright yellow with dark red markings 

 distributed as shown in the drawing. The head is equipped with a large pair of 

 mandibles, grooved on the inner side, curved like a sickle and pointed. With these 

 it penetrates the body wall and sucks out the contents through the grooves. The 

 legs are short with sharp claws to clasp firmly the footing which it may have in 

 order that it might, as is the habit, lift the prey bodilj* into the air where its 

 struggles arc in vain, and jog it there until all of the body juices have been 

 extracted. This operation can easily be observed in the field. So fierce are they 

 that they devour not only mealy bugs, the larvte of Coecinellids, but their own 

 kind. I have placed from four to eight in a small box or bottle and after a few 

 days would find onlj- two, or more often, only one left. In order to make sure 



