1912} | Life History of a New Psychoda > ‘413 
Female: More robust than male; body slightly longer, and diameter 
of abdomen much larger. Head slightly yellowish, thickly set with 
white and gray hairs. Thorax white, densely clothed with white erect 
hairs; a few gray hairs present. Abdomen white, clad in white semi- 
prostrate hair. Antennze white; two basal segments slightly yellowish; 
agree with the male in all other respects. Wings with average length of 
2.58 mm., extremes of variation 2.28 to 3.06 mm.; average width 0.98 
mm., variation from 0.90 to 1.14 mm.; otherwise like male. Legs with 
tarsal segments distinctly yellow, extreme tips dark; tibiz and femora 
white with scattering black hairs, some long and others short. Ventral 
plate yellow; about as broad as long; emargination almost circular in 
outline. Ovipositor yellowish; almost straight. 
Habitat: Chicago, Illinois. Described from 25 specimens, 
10 males and 15 females. 
In looking over the literature on Psychodide the writer was 
surprised to discover how little of it has to do with the life 
histories of the various species of this family. Forty-four 
species have been described from North America, and the life 
histories of only five are known. Kellogg (1901, p. 46) described 
briefly the life history of Pericoma californica Kincaid; Haseman 
(1907, p. 324) described the stages of Psychoda floridica Hase- 
man; Fullaway (1907, p. 386) reported on the immature stages 
of Psychoda schizura Kincaid; and Haseman (1908, p. 274) 
described the life histories of Psychoda nocturnala Haseman 
and Psychoda domestica Haseman. 
THE EGG. 
(Big. 3, Pl; XXXT.) 
Eggs were easily obtained by confining females in stender 
dishes which contained a small quantity of sludge and water 
from the filter beds. Females were frequently put into the dishes 
in the evening and by the next morning clusters of eggs had 
been deposited. They were laid in masses on the bottom or 
sides of the dish or on fragments of rock which projected from 
the surface of the mass of sludge. Egg masses deposited 1n the 
dishes were never laid in the water, but just above the water 
and at the edges of moist areas on the bottom. These egg masses 
contained a varying number of eggs ranging from 20 to over 100. 
The masses were irregular in shape and the eggs which composed 
them were -deposited in no definite order. They adhered 
strongly to the glass and were apparently cemented there at 
the time of oviposition. Under normal conditions the eggs 
are laid on the surfaces of the filter stone. It is very probable 
that eggs are not only deposited near the top surface of the 
