PSYCHE 



VOL. XXIX. FEBRUARY 1922 No. 1 



EGGS OF THREE CERCOPID^. 



By Geo. W. Barber and Wm. 0. Ellis. 



Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



In Eastern Massachusetts, Philcenus leucophthalmus Linn, 

 and Philcenus lineatus Linn which Prof. Herbert Osborn (Bull. 

 254, Me, Agri. Exp. Sta. 1916) has designated as the Meadow 

 Froghopper and the Grass-feeding Froghopper respectively, 

 are undoubtedly the most numerous species of Spittle insects. 

 Philaronis hilineata (Say) is also found, sometimes in large num- 

 bers, usually on grasses, near or on the extensive salt marshes 

 of this region. 



In August 1921, the writers confined adults of these three 

 species in separate lantern-globe cages in which plants of Setaria 

 glauca were growing. This grass was used because it was near at 

 hand — not because these insects had showed any partiality for 

 it as a food plant. 



Eggs were easily obtained in this waj^, and the method of 

 oviposition was found to agree exactly with that observed during 

 1920 when eggs of P. leucophthalmus Linn, were obtained in 

 confinement and fo und in the field on Tansy, Tanacetum vulrjare. 



Oviposition of these three species is very similar indeed. 

 Individual eggs nearly agree both in shape and in color and are 

 deposited in the same manner. The eggs are laid in single rows, 

 side by side, in numbers of from 2 to 24. Individual eggs are 

 imbedded in, and the entire mass is surrounded with a white, 

 frothy appearing material which is tough and inelastic and 

 securely holds the individual eggs so that they can be dissected 

 from it only with difficulty. This protective material is more 

 plentiful about the edges of the mass and becomes sparse at 

 the top and bottom where the mass lies in close contact with the 

 stem and sheath of the plant. 



