WHEAT-BULB FLY. lOf 



teeth, instead of appearing square or a little curved-in, appear 

 noticeably indented. The presence of these teeth and the 

 absence of a little bunch of stalked spiracles near the head 

 appear to me to be the simplest way of knowing the Wheat- 

 bulb from the Frit maggots. 



The chrysalids are of the size and shape figured at 3, p. 106 

 (nat. size and magnified), that is, somewhat oval, thickest at the 

 head end, and of a medium shade of brown, with the spiracles 

 still projecting, and always very plainly noticeable at the tip 

 of the tail, in the form of two little knobs. 



The flies are two-winged, and not altogether unlike the well- 

 known Onion Fly in general appearance. 



More particularly noticed, they are as described by Mr. E. 

 H. Meade : Males with the thorax grey, the sides lighter, and 

 the dorsum (back) indistinctly striped; the abdomen hairy, 

 oblong, narrow, flat and cinereous, with an indistinct narrow 

 dorsal stripe ; anal segment grey ; subanal appendages hairy, 

 with two black lamella ; wings with narrow veins ; legs black, 

 with pale tibice. The females have both the thorax and 

 abdomen pale ash-grey and immaculate, and the four posterior 

 femora, as well as the tibite, pale.* 



The maggots may be found far enough advanced in size 

 about the beginning of April to be destroying the young 

 Wheat-plant; at the beginning of May I have had consign- 

 ments of specimens with fat, strong maggots upwards of a 

 quarter of an inch long, one maggot lying lengthwise in each 

 stem examined and nearly filling it up. During May they 

 ceased feeding; towards the latter half of the month they 

 were turning to chrysalids (leaving the plant, to change in the 

 earth), but the Fly itself did not emerge until the beginning 

 of July from chrysalids which were being kept under observa- 

 tion, though, judging by dates given in German observations, 

 it is likely that it would take a much shorter time to develop 

 when in natural circumstances. 



The attack of this Wheat-bulb maggot was first certainly 

 identified in 1882, though there is good reason for believing 

 that it was present to a serious extent before ; now it is one of 

 our regularly recognised Wheat-plant pests. In 1888 packets 

 of infested plants were forwarded to me for examination almost 

 daily from about the first week until the end of May. The 

 localities from which attack was reported were mainly in the 

 Midland and Eastern Counties, extending as far north as 

 Darlington in Durham, and as far south as Almondsbury in 

 Gloucestershire. 



The amount of injury was reported by various corres- 



* " Annotated List of British Anthomyiida;," by E. H. Meade. 'Eutomolo- 

 gisttt' ^Monthly Magazine,' March, 1882. 



