PROCEEDINGS, 1917 



THE TREE HOPPERS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 



By W. H. Brittain. 



Introduction. 



T^HE FOLLOWING article is designed to be one of a series of similar papers on the 

 insects of Nova Scotia, to the end that our local insect fauna may become better 

 known to the general public and not remain as a sealed book to all except pro- 

 fessional entomologists. The literature of entomology is so scattered that it is inacces- 

 sible to the average nature student and the descriptions are so technical that they are 

 incomprehensible to him. Furthermore the keys include so many forms not found 

 in our fauna that he is likely to become discouraged and give up the subject altogether. 

 It is to meet this situation that the following contribution is prepared and similar papers 

 will follow in this and subsequent numbers. 



Those who are unfamiliar with the elementary details of insect structure should 

 consult the paper on the Acrididae of Nova Scotia and accompanying drawings by 

 C. B. Gooderham, published in No. 2 of these proceedings. For the benefit of such 

 readers a short glossary of the terms used herein is also attached to this article. These, 

 with the accompanying illustrations prepared by Messrs. L. G. Saunders and W. E. 

 Whitehead, should render the subject intelligible even to those who possess but a very 

 slight knowledge of insect anatomy. Only such technical terms have been used as are 

 necessary for characterization, and the beginner should, therefore, experience little dif- 

 ficulty in separating the forms herein discussed. 



Short notes on the food habits of the insects are given as far as these are known. 

 In the case of a number of species the life history has been worked out in detail, and 

 technical descriptions of the immature stages have been prepared. These, however, 

 are not included in the present paper except in one case, viz., Publilia concava Say, 

 where this does not appear to have been done previously. In connection with the classi- 

 fication, we have consulted most of the more important contributions to the American 

 literature on this subject, but most of the keys are adapted from those of Funkhouser 

 (Biology of the Membracidae of the Cayuga Lake Basin, Memoir 11, Corn. Univ. 

 Agr. Exp. Sta., 1917)which have been found to be very simple and workable for our 

 forms. Where it is necessary to examine the hind wing, the specimen should first be 

 softened in hot water and the outer wing lifted up. This can easily be done without 

 mutilating the specimen. 



As our collection does not represent the result of careful collection over a long period 

 of years, it is probable that other species than those discussed will eventually be 

 found to be native to this province, and it is hoped that this paper may have the effect 

 of bringing such species to light. At the same time we believe that most, if not all, 

 of the common forms are included and some that are rarely met with. Any member of 

 this society who may discover species that he cannot identify by means of our keys is 

 requested to send specimens to the writer. 



General Life Histories. 



It is not within the scope of the present paper to deal in detail with this subject 

 and only the most general points can be touched upon. Most tree-hoppers winter in the 

 egg state, the eggs in most cases being laid beneath the bark of the young growth of 

 woody plants, the nymphs on hatching dropping to the ground and feeding on more 

 herbaceous plants. One of the most common species viz., Ceresa taurina, deposits its 

 eggs in the buds of apples and pears beneath the outer bud scale. Publilia concava de- 

 posits its eggs in a double row in the midrib on the underside of leaves and it is prob- 

 able that Entylia carinata has a similar habit. These two are the only ones of our 

 fauna that winter in the adult condition. The eggs of the other species hatch in the 



