128 



PSl'CHE. 



[October iSqy. 



silvery pollinose. Pair of median stripes 

 hardly apparent, and only on third seg- 

 ment. No black on legs or antennae. 

 Otherwise agrees with Williston's 

 description. 



The common form of this species in 

 New Mexico, especially in the Mesilla 

 Valley, is the present one — that orig- 

 inally described by Sa}- as abdominale. 

 It is characterized in general by the 

 front, median abdominal stripes, and 

 legs being as described above. The 

 thorax has the median brown line less 

 conspicnous, or subobsolete ; the abdo- 

 men with at least second and sixth 

 segments mostly yellowish ; abdomen 

 sometimes wholly yellowish, in which 

 case the median stripes may be moder- 



ately distinct but reddish. See section 

 II of paper on Gila Diptera {Psyche, 

 1S97), for note on fulvlfrons, tvpical 

 form. 



4. Belvosia bifasciata Fab. One 

 V . Diipping Spring, Organ Mts. 

 About 5600 ft. August 10. Not quite 

 the normal type, but near it. Facial 

 ridges ciliate half way up, but not as 

 high as lowest frontal bristles. Third 

 antennal joint about 2^ times as long as 

 second. Third ^nd fourth abdominal 

 segments wholly deep golden, as in the 

 normal form. The claws in 9 of this 

 genus are always hooked and black on 

 tips. The $ has the claws nearly 

 straight, and without black. 



LIFE HISTORY OF PYROMORFHA DIMIDIATA H. S. 



BY HARRISON G. DYAR, WASHIXGTOX, D. C. 



The larva of Pvromorplia has pieviously 

 eluded detection on iiccount of its peculiar 

 habit. It lives beneath the fallen leaves in 

 oak woods, feeding on the dead and decaying 

 leaves. The larvae are solitary. The period 

 from egg to cocoon is three months, June 15 

 to Sept. 15 The winter is passed in the co- 

 coon as in the other species of the family. 

 The coloration is dark brown and rather uni- 

 form to harmonize with the situation in 

 which the larvae live. 



Egg. Elliptical, a little flattened above and 

 below like Geometrid eggs, but more elon- 

 gate and cylindrical than those. White, mod- 

 erately shining, soft and thin-skinned. 

 Length i mm., height and width .6 mm. 

 Reticulations distinct and regular, much 

 rounded, like a series of contiguous circles. 



Stage I. Head rounded, partly retracted, 

 black; width .3 mm. Body thick, slightly 



flattened, grayish white. Warts low, a group 

 of hairs from tubercular bases, finely dotted 

 spinulose, a small clear bulb at the base of 

 each. Three warts and leg-plate seen, the 

 larva wart with few hairs. Skin finely spin- 

 ulose. The primitive first stage is absent. 



Stage II. Head retracted in the fold of 

 joint 2, black over the vertices of the lobes, 

 clypeus pale, mouth pointed, brown; width 

 .4 mm. Body sordid gray, in marks. Hairs 

 numerous, from large low warts, stiff", shut, 

 pale with black tips, spinulose with basal 

 bulbs as before. Feet normal. Later a faint 

 whitish subdorsal line is seen against the 

 dark fold within, a narrow brown dorsal line 

 and faint mottlings low down on the sides. 

 Cervical shield brown. 



Stage III. Head light brown with large 

 black eye, retracted in joint 2; width .6 mm. 

 Body thick and stout, densely hairy. Cervi- 



