36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
wheat midge of America. It has been tacitly assumed that the 
species destructive here was the one responsible for the general and 
extended damage of earlier years in certain European countries, 
particularly England and France. It happens that there are two 
small midges very similar in appearance and with nearly identical 
habits which infest the developing heads of wheat and some other 
small grains. Rearings from wheat midge maggots in New York 
State and Ontario, Canada, produced a small fly identified with very 
little question as the species bearing the technical name given above. 
It is easily distinguished from the one (Contarinia tritici 
Kirby) commonly supposed to be prevalent in this country since the 
species in America has a short, stout ovipositor less than one-half 
the length of the body when extended, while the same organ in the other 
species has a length approximately twice that of the body. Both are 
so similar in general appearance that it is not surprising they were 
confused and this misunderstanding, which has prevailed for more 
than half a century, illustrates the practical difficulties in studying 
the flies belonging to this very interesting and not unimportant group. 
Furthermore, it should be noted that although there has been a change 
in the scientific name, the American records of earlier years appearing 
under'the name of Cecidomyia,, Diplosis or @omita- 
rinia tritici Kirby, refer with very little question to this com- 
paratively unknown species. 
The situation is not so simple as appears from the above account, 
since there are specimens in American collections recorded as having 
been reared from wheat heads which closely resemble the species 
under discussion. One of these was labeled as wheat midge by the 
late Doctor Fitch, a man who had unexampled opportunities of 
studying the insect during the serious outbreaks about 1850, and 
another was found in the collections of the United States National 
Museum at Washington and was labeled Cecidomyia tri- 
tici Kirby. Neither the one nor the other was our wheat midge, 
and they have been described by the writer as Prodiplosis 
tchiitand Itonida tritici? Both of these species are 
entirely different from either of the wheat midges known to cause 
serious injury and it is presumable that they occurred in relatively 
small numbers and that their earlier identification as the species so 
destructive to wheat was a mischance which might easily occur when 
it is remembered that a considerable series of these midges, although 
very distinct when closely studied, present very striking general 
resemblances. 
11912, Econ. Ent. Jour., 5:288. 
21912, Econ. Ent. Jour., 5:289. 
