56 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. IY, 



of the higher plants after invasion by fungi or the commence- 

 ment of decay. 



The subfamily Heteropezinae comprises a number of remark- 

 able, and taxonomically speaking, ancient forms. The species 

 live largely, if not exclusively, in ligneous tissues in the incipient 

 stages of decay. Miastor larvae, presumably those of M. amer- 

 icana Felt were found in numbers in the moist, partially decayed 

 inner bark and sapwood of chestnut. The majority of the 

 European species studied, develop under practically similar 

 conditions. 



Our title implies a limitation to gall-making forms. This 

 is true of the vast majority of the members of this family, 

 though not applicable to the two subfamilies just discussed 

 or to the lowest tribe of the Itonidinae now under considera- 

 tion. The members of this tribe, the Epidosariae, distinctly 

 allied with the more generalized forms in this family by the 

 presence of a well developed crossvein and yet exhibiting a 

 connection with the higher forms because of the universal 

 presence of highly specialized circumfili, do not produce galls 

 but live in dead, frequently dried, woody tissues. The detection 

 of the larvae is consequently difficult and, as a result, rearings 

 have been comparatively few. Winnertzia pinicorticis Felt 

 was obtained by Mr. Pergande from the bark of Pinus inops. 

 The genus Colpodia, with its remarkably long, narrow wings, 

 probably lives in dead wood, a habit known to be true of 

 Asynapta saliciperda Felt which was reared from old Rhab- 

 dophaga batatas O. S. galls on willow. 



The most generalized of the true gall-making forms are 

 probably found in the tribe Dasyneuriariae, the genus Rhab- 

 dophaga Westw. being the less specialized of this group. A 

 study of this genus shows at once a marked partiality to Salix. 

 a genus placed rather low in the series of flowering plants, and 

 the production thereupon of a number of comparatively simple 

 deformities such as bud and subcortical galls. It is pre-emi- 

 nently a genus of the willow. Dasyneura Rond. comes next. 

 An examination of the records shows that a large proportion of 

 the species live in comparatively simple leaf and bud galls on 

 various genera of the higher flowering plants, an interesting 

 exception being the remarkable D. flavotibialis Felt which 

 was reared from decaying wood, while D. rhois Coq. was 

 obtained from a root gall on Sumac. The peculiar Lasiopteryx 



