SOME NOTES ON HEREDITY IN THE COCCINELLID 

 GENUS ADALIA MULSANT.* 



By Miriam A. Palmer. 



It is the purpose of this paper to give a report of some 

 experimental investigations in heredity which were made with 

 four different forms belonging to the genus Ad alia Mulsant. 

 These forms shall herein be designated as melanopleura Leconte, 

 annectans Crotch, coloradensis Casey, and humeralis Say.f 



Melanopleura (Fig. A, PL XIX), as met with in this paper, is 

 described as follows: Head black, with fine apical line of 

 white, and with a whitish triangle next each eye with the apex 

 pointing mesad and nearly reaching the median line. Some- 

 times a median strip of whitish connects these spots and extend- 

 ing forward to the apical line, which may also widen, leaves 

 only a pair of black spots or brownish dots, one on either side of 

 the median line on the anterior part of the head. (See head 

 markings in Figures A, B, C, and F, PI. XIX). Pronotum pale, 

 with black M-shaped design and a lateral black spot, except in 

 an unusually albinic form where the spot is absent or repre- 

 sented by a mere dusky area. The black spot when present 

 may vary from a moderate sized area well enclosed by the 

 surrounding white, to a large area which may break more or 

 less widely through the surrounding white so as to connect 

 with the M design. See pronotum markings in Figures A, B, 

 and C, PI. XIX). The basal marking is usually large in this form 

 but may be rather small in some cases. Elytra brownish red 

 and immaculate, or with faint dot on lateral margin of each 

 elytron. Legs yellowish brown, darker on outer margin. 

 Length 4-6 mm., width 3-4 mm. 



Annectans, Figures B, C, and F, Plate XIX, includes quite a 

 range of variation. The group as met with in this study is 

 described as follows: Head as in melanopleura, pronotum as 



*This paper is an outgrowth of breeding cage work with the Goccinellids, 

 assigned me by Professor Gillette as a part of his Adams Fund project on Life 

 Histories of the Plant Lice and Their Enemies. 



t These determinations are according to Major Thos. L. Casey, who very 

 kindly criticized my determinations of the forms referred to in this paper, excepting 

 that annectans includes also an unusual and rather rare form (Fig. F, PL XIX), the 

 status of which seems to me a little uncertain, but which Mr. C. W. Leng deter- 

 mines as annectans. Lacking any biological proof to the contrary I have included 

 it under annectans. 



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