1918] Leaf Eating Crane- Fly 69 



PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE CYLINDROTOMINI. 



The literature dealing with this very interesting tribe of the 

 Tipulidas has not been accessible to me, with the exception of 

 Mr. Alexander's paper, "Biology of the North American Crane- 

 Flies (Tipulidae Diptera)," published in the Pomona College 

 Journal of Entomology and Zoology, Vol. VI, No. 3, Sept., 1914. 

 Here is presented excellent resume of the known facts, 

 culled from various workers, regarding this very remarkable 

 group of species, which, according to Osten Sacken, quoted by 

 the author (p. 105), occupies an isolated and intermediate 

 position between the TipulidcE brevipalpi and longipalpi. Mr. 

 Alexander goes on to say that "the structure of the adult flies, 

 especially as regards certain details of the venation of the wings, 

 is quite unique, but it is in the immature stages of the different 

 genera that the most interesting distinctions are found. The 

 larvae, instead of living in the mud along the banks of streams, 

 or in rotten wood, as do the majority of the known crane-fly 

 larvse, are found on the leaves of various terrestrial and aquatic 

 plants; instead of being brown or grey in color, they are bright 

 green and usually resemble the leaves of their host plants to a 

 very remarkable degree. 



The five known larvae of the Cylindrotomini are distributed 

 among four genera as follows: Phalacrocera repUcata, L., which 

 is aquatic or nearly so and feeds on Fontinalis antipyretica, 

 Hypnum elodes, H. exannulatum, Ranunculus fluitans, etc. ; 

 Cylmdrotoma distmctissinia, Meig., terrestrial, feeds on Viola 

 biflora, Stellaria nemoralis, Anemone nemorosa, etc.; Triogma 

 trisulcata, Schumm., aquatic, on Fontinalis antipyretica ; Liogma 

 glabrata Meig., terrestrial, on Hypnum squarrosum; Liogma 

 nodicornis O. S., terrestrial, on Hypnum cupressiforme and a 

 related species. All with the exception of the Neartic Liogma 

 nodicornis are Paleartic. For the larvae of these five species 

 Mr. Alexander {loc. cit., pp. 109-110,) has constructed a key 

 wherein the distinguishing characters are the shape of the body- 

 appendages and the number and position of the teeth on these 

 appendages. He proceeds to state that "the larvae of the 

 Cylindrotomini may be distinguished from those of other 

 crane-flies by the following easily determined points: color 

 green or greenish; the body provided with filiform or leaf-like 

 appendages; larvas living upon various Bryophytic or Sper- 

 matophytic plants." 



