﻿98 ]!^ew York State College of Forestry 



available warrants a record of parts of the observed cycle and 

 quite certain inferences as to other phases. 



The adults (Fig. 40) appear in July or early August (one taken 

 July 19, 1920, by Mr. Fivaz) and evidently while recentty emerged 

 are found in crevices of rotten wood or under bark of spruce 

 stumps. At time of mating the}- probably take wing and the 

 females no doubt seek out new and favorable dead trees for egg 

 deposition. Drake reports that a number of the nymphs and 

 adults were found in a spruce stub, 18 or 20 feet high and about 

 10 inches in diameter, and which had been dead several j-ears* 

 The eggs must certainly be laid on or under the bark, doubtless 

 on trees or stumps in process of decay and where the nymphs 

 develop. 



The nymphs occur in the soft decaj'ing tissue of dead trees 

 between bark and wood or in crevices of rotten wood. Their food 

 is presumabl}^ derived from the juices of the decaying wood tissue 

 or fungi and this probably at a favorable stage of decomposition 

 during the second, third or fourth year after the cutting of a tree 

 or under natural conditions during the same period after death 

 or injury of a tree from accident or natural causes. Many large 

 nymphs and adults have been taken in quite rotten pine and 

 spruce, Barber Point, 1917. 



The nymph shown in the figure (Fig. 10), the only stage yet 

 found, was taken in early August along with fresh adults and 

 reared individuals show that nymphs mature and adults emerge 

 about August 1. 



The nymphs show the head characters of the adult with the 

 vertex proportionately a little wider, slightly wider than long ; 

 the pronotal carinae are prominent, the median one disappearing 

 anteriorly; the inner ones curved outward behind, and the lateral 

 ones nearly paralleling the margin. On the mesonotum the five 

 carinae diverge slightly from before backward and the median 

 one is forked posteriorly. The metanotum has three carinae 

 within the bases of the wing pads, corresponding with primaiy 

 venation. The abdomen is nearly as wide at base as the thorax, 

 broadly ovate behind the segments rather short, six segments being 

 visible. 



The body is decidedly flattened, similar to many other insects 

 living under bark. The color is gray-brown with a darker median 

 stripe and border. Length, 5 mm. ; width, 2.4 mm. 



It may be noted that all recorded American species of the genus 

 are from localities where conifers are found and association with 

 this food supply seems possible. It seems reasonable to expect, 

 therefore, that many other species will be found to have a similar 

 habit, perhaps associated with particular species of Coniferae 

 such as larch, fir, southern pine, cedar, etc., and special attention 

 to collecting where such opportunity presents may result in some 

 interesting material and a great enrichment of collections. Aside 

 from the biologic or ecolosric interest attached to the sDecies. there 



