SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT. 79 
Abdomen shining black; three basal segments with anterior bands of reddish brown, 
which do not reach the lateral margin. In some specimens (females) the abdomen is 
reddish yellow, each segment with a posterior black band. 
Wings with small brownish clouds on each cross-vein. Costal index about 3.9; fourth- 
vein index about 1.7; 5x index about 1.0; 4c index about 0.9. 
Length body 2.5 mm.; wing 2.5 mm. 
Specimens aed Herradura (C. W. Metz), Havana (type material), 
Santiago de las Vegas, Aguada Pasajeros, Cristo (C. W. Metz), Cuba; 
Sanchez, Haiti (F. E. Watson); Mayaguez, Arecibo, Jayuya, Adjuntas, 
Porto Rico (Lutz and Mutchler); Dominica (F. E. Lutz); San Jose, Port 
Limon, Costa Rica; Panama, Republic of Panama; Lakeland (C. W. Metz), 
Tampa (C. W. Metz), Orlando (J. M. Aldrich coll.), Fort Lauderdale (C. W 
Metz), Daytona (C. W. Johnson), Miami, Florida. 
This species is quite variable in color, but Dr. Metz and I have bred 
several stocks in the laboratory, and have found these variations not to be 
inherited, but to depend on the conditions under which the larve develop. 
Pale specimens of the females are very similar to D. similis Williston, and I 
have been unable to devise any satisfactory method of separating them in 
the case of pinned specimens. The two species are quite distinct, and we 
have been unable to cross them. 
D. cardini is very common about fruit in the tropics. I have bred it 
from banana and papaya. The development, from egg to adult, requires 
about two weeks at summer temperature. 
The eggs have four filaments. The chromosomes have been described 
by Metz (1916, Amer. Nat., 50, see p. 39 of this paper). The mating 
habits are described on page 5. 
Drosophila similis Williston. 1896. Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 415. (Not Lamb. 1914. 
Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 16, 347.) 
3, @. Arista with about six branches above and three below. Antenne yellow, 
third joint darker. Front over one-third width of head, wider above; yellow. Second 
orbital one-fourth other two. Second oral bristle about three-fourths first. Carina broad, 
flat; face yellow. Cheeks yellow; their greatest width about one-fifth greatest diameter 
of eyes. Eyes pilose. 
Acrostichal hairs in six rows; no prescutellars. Mesonotum and scutellum brownish 
yellow, slightly shining. Pleure and legs pale yellow. Apical and preapical bristles on 
first and second tibiz, preapicals on third. 
Abdomen yellow, each segment with a posterior blackish-brown band; ihe bands on 
the third, fourth, and fifth segments interrupted in the mid-dorsal region. 
Wangs snore clouded on posterior cross-vein. Costal index about 3.2; fourth-vein 
index about 1.7; 5x index about 1.2; 4c index about 0.8. 
Length body 2.0 mm.; wing 2.2 mm. 
Specimens examined: Herradura (C. W. Metz), Havana, Santiago de las 
Vegas, Bartle (C. W. Metz), Cristo (C. W. Metz), Cuba; Porus, Port 
Antonio, Jamaica (C. W. Metz); St. Vincent (Williston type material); 
Bay Mansion, Barbados (H. A. Ballou). Specimens from Florida, Haiti, 
Trinidad, Panama, Honduras, and the State of Vera Cruz in Mexico have 
been examined that possibly belong here; but the lack of any really satis- 
factory character to separate this species from pale specimens of D. cardini 
Sturtevant makes all these latter determinations doubtful. 
Dr. Metz has studied this form in the laboratory, and has reported on 
its chromosomes (see p. 39), and on a mutation that he obtained in it 
(see p. 14). He has also seen the egg, which he states has four filaments. 
This species is not uncommon about fruit in Cuba. It has been bred on 
banana through several generations in the laboratory without difficulty. 
