60 



INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OP CALIFORNIA. 



positor for their insertion. The only dam- 

 age is caused by these egg-punctures The 

 young larvse hatch within a Few weeks and 

 live throughout their entire existence 

 under the ground, where they remain for 

 two or more years, depending upon the 

 species: the so-called seventeen-year 

 locusts require exactly seventeen years in 

 which to transform from the egg to the 

 adult. The nymphal stage is passed in a 

 small cell, also in the earth. When ready 

 to change into the adult the nymph leaves 

 the ground and crawls up some tree or 

 shrub, where the back is split and the 

 adult issues. In the Middle and Eastern 

 States these insects appear in such great 

 numbers during certain years as to become 

 quite serious pests, their depredations 

 sometimes being known as plagues. There 

 are many species in California, though 

 none of them are nearly as destructive as 

 the seventeen-year locusts or the periodical 

 cicada of the Eastern States. In fact, they 

 are of very slight consequence here. 



THE NET-WINGED CICADA 

 Platypedia areolata Uhler 



(Fig. 50) 



Description. — The adults are quite 

 variable in color, but are usually dark- 

 gray or nearly black with orange or yel- 

 low markings on the head and thorax. 

 The mesothorax and metathorax are often 

 entirely yellow, but more often only the 

 sides are so colored. There is usually a 

 longitudinal yellow line on the dorsum, a 

 narrow yellow line across the front of the 

 prothorax and a wide line of the same 

 color between the mesothorax and meta- 

 thorax. The legs are dark or light amber, 

 the antenna? dark and the eyes black. The 

 front margin of the front wings are bowed 

 as much as the hind margin. The wings 

 are widest near the tips and hyaline with 

 yellowish base. The average length is 

 about | inch. 



Life History.— The life history of this 

 species is not known, other than that the 



, ., . , . ,, Fig-. 50. — The net-winged Ci- 



eggS are laid in punctures made in the cada, Platypedia areolata Uhler. 

 limivs hv thp fprnnlps in thp cnnnv nnrl Upper picture shows female 



iimns n\ me iemaies in me spring ana twice enlarged. Lower picture 

 early summer and that the larval and shows females and egg punc- 



_i . „ , • ,, ^ tu res on peach twig. Natural 



pupal stages are spent in the ground. size. (Original) 



