﻿CRICKET 
  PARASITE 
  — 
  GURNEY 
  23 
  

  

  were 
  relaxed 
  and 
  studied. 
  The 
  mandibles 
  of 
  the 
  exuviae 
  differ 
  some- 
  

   what 
  in 
  shape 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Falls 
  Church 
  larva 
  and 
  they 
  bear 
  no 
  

   teeth. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Michigan 
  Museum 
  of 
  Zoology 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  20 
  

   pinned 
  cricket 
  specimens 
  bearing 
  parasitic 
  larvae 
  presumed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   one 
  or 
  more 
  species 
  of 
  Rhopalosoina. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  examined 
  them, 
  

   but 
  detailed 
  host 
  data 
  have 
  been 
  furnished 
  me, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  that 
  the 
  larvae 
  vary 
  considerably 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  that 
  all 
  are 
  brown. 
  

   The 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected 
  by 
  Dr. 
  T. 
  H. 
  Hubbell 
  and 
  several 
  asso- 
  

   ciated 
  collectors 
  and 
  former 
  students. 
  The 
  hosts, 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  parasitized 
  specimens. 
  States 
  where 
  collected, 
  and 
  generalized 
  

   dates 
  of 
  collection 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Hapithus 
  agitator 
  agitator 
  Uhler, 
  

   seven 
  specimens, 
  southeastern 
  Indiana, 
  central 
  Missouri, 
  Mississippi, 
  

   Tennessee, 
  all 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  half 
  of 
  August 
  ; 
  H. 
  agitator 
  quad- 
  

   ratus 
  Scudder, 
  four 
  specimens, 
  Florida, 
  late 
  July 
  to 
  early 
  September; 
  

   H. 
  hrevipennis 
  Saussure, 
  four 
  specimens, 
  Florida, 
  late 
  July 
  to 
  mid- 
  

   November 
  ; 
  Orocharis 
  saUator 
  Uhler, 
  four 
  specimens, 
  July 
  4 
  to 
  July 
  

   29. 
  The 
  host 
  associated 
  with 
  an 
  additional 
  larva 
  from 
  Florida 
  is 
  

   not 
  recorded. 
  These 
  records 
  represent 
  the 
  parasitism 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  

   occurring 
  among 
  several 
  hundreds 
  of 
  Hapithus 
  and 
  Orocharis 
  

   specimens. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  of 
  Hapithus 
  agitator 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  Falls 
  Church 
  larva 
  

   was 
  parasitic 
  was 
  preserved 
  in 
  alcohol 
  and 
  later 
  dissected 
  to 
  determine 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  its 
  internal 
  organs. 
  Scarcely 
  any 
  traces 
  of 
  food 
  

   were 
  in 
  the 
  digestive 
  tract, 
  none 
  of 
  recent 
  ingestion. 
  Keproductive 
  

   organs 
  were 
  evidently 
  intact, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  well-developed 
  eggs 
  

   or 
  other 
  signs 
  of 
  normal 
  functioning 
  of 
  the 
  organs. 
  

  

  The 
  impression 
  created 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  cricket 
  had 
  been 
  weakened 
  

   to 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  drain 
  on 
  its 
  vitality 
  finally 
  caused 
  death, 
  though 
  

   there 
  had 
  been 
  no 
  mechanical 
  destruction 
  of 
  organs. 
  

  

  Various 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  biology 
  remain 
  to 
  be 
  clarified, 
  but 
  the 
  main 
  

   outline 
  seems 
  evident. 
  Upon 
  hatching, 
  the 
  larva 
  probably 
  crawls 
  part 
  

   way 
  from 
  the 
  eggshell 
  and 
  starts 
  its 
  development 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   transverse 
  position. 
  At 
  the 
  first 
  molt 
  the 
  larva 
  apparently 
  shifts 
  

   the 
  anterior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  extends 
  longitudinally 
  along 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cricket, 
  though 
  keeping 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  of 
  anal 
  attach- 
  

   ment. 
  The 
  third 
  and 
  fourth 
  instars 
  each 
  move 
  the 
  head 
  posteriorly 
  

   on 
  the 
  cricket 
  at 
  molting 
  time. 
  Sharp 
  mandibles 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  second, 
  

   third, 
  and 
  fourth 
  instars, 
  and 
  these 
  apparently 
  pierce 
  the 
  cricket's 
  

   integument 
  and 
  permit 
  fluids 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  the 
  mouth. 
  Definite 
  

   mouth 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  instar 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  seen, 
  but 
  may 
  occur. 
  

   The 
  fifth 
  instar 
  does 
  not 
  feed 
  but 
  is 
  an 
  inactive 
  stage 
  that 
  leaves 
  the 
  

   host 
  and 
  spins 
  a 
  cocoon 
  in 
  the 
  soil. 
  Pupation 
  is 
  evidently 
  delayed, 
  

   perhaps 
  until 
  near 
  emergence 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  adult. 
  

  

  