﻿CONTRIBUTION TOWARD THE LIFE HISTORY OF 

 GALEATUS PECKHAMI ASHMEAD 



By Carl J. Drake 



This curious and interesting American insect was described by 

 Ashmead (1887, p. 156) as Sphaerocysta peckhami from two speci- 

 mens collected near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Prof. Geo. W. Peck- 

 ham. A number of years later Van Duzee (1889, p. 5) records 

 the insect from an island in Muskoka Lake, Canada, and transfers 

 it to the Genus Galeatus Stal, where the species correctly belongs. 

 In regard to its habitat Van Duzee (/. c.) says: "Swept from low 

 weeds — probably a dwarf vaccinium or a species of aralia, wliich 

 were growing close together — among pines on a rocky island " 

 (collected between July 25 and August 3, 1889). 



Uhler* (1904, p. 362) greatly extends the range of G. peckhami 

 and lists the insect from Las Vegas, Hot Springs, New Mexico 

 (collected by Schwarz and Barber, August 3, at an altitude of 

 about 6,770 feet). Bueno (1915, pp. 278 and 279) enumerates 

 the species among the insects taken in beech drift of Lake Superior 

 at Marquette, Michigan, in July by jMr. John D. Sherman, Jr. 

 The latter lot contained thirty-two specimens, which seems to indi- 

 cate that the insect must have been migrating in considerable 

 numbers. The species has recently been reported from Maine 

 (Parshley, 1917, p. 55), New Hampshire (Parshlev, 1916, p. 105) 

 and New York (Drake, 1918, p. 86). Dr. H. H. Knight has 

 kindly sent me a few specimens from Duluth, Minnesota. In 

 addition to most of these records Van Duzee (1917 b, p. 216) 

 catalogues the insect from Manitoba and Uhler (1896, p. 265) 

 also records the species from Japan. 



During the past summer (1920) Dr. Osborn and the writer 

 found the insect breeding in great numbers upon aster, Asier 

 macrophylius L., and boneset, Eupatorium sp. {fide Dr. H. P. 

 Brown) on the summit of Crataegus Hill, Barber Point, during the 

 last week of July. At this time all the nymphs had attained the 

 mature state. A careful examination of the ventral surfaces of 

 the leaves of the asters revealed the cast-off skins of four different 

 instars still clinging to the leaves. The skins of the last three 

 instars were in almost perfect condition and the figures and 

 descriptions of the nymphal instars have been made from these 

 cast-off skins. 



The eggs of Galeatus peckhami Ashm. are almost entirely 

 inserted in the stem of the host plant, usually somewhat near the 

 surface of the ground, upon which the insects are feeding. They 

 are generally placed singly (Plate IV, Pig. e) and in no definite 



" Horvath lias rpceiitly desorilied tliis form from New ilexico as a new 

 species of galentus. 



[10.51 



