PSYCHE 



VOL. XXHI FEBRUARY, 1916 No. 1 



THE IMMATURE STAGES OF TROPWOSTEPTES CAR- 

 DIN ALIS UHLER (CAPSIDAE, HEMIPTERA).i 



By M. D. Leonard, 



Ithaca, New York. 



On June 10, 1908, Prof. C. R. Crosby first noticed that the 

 leaves of an ash tree near the Cornell Insectary were being slightly 

 injured by a Capsid which by that date had become adult. In 

 the early spring of 1910 he prepared descriptions of the stages 

 from nymphs reared on twigs forced out in the insectary, but no 

 adults were obtained. In the spring of 1913 Professor Crosby 

 called the writer's attention to the problem and the study of the 

 immature stages of the insect was again taken up. The nymphs 

 were redescribed and adults were obtained which were identified 

 as Tropidosteptes cardinalis Uhler. 



Detailed observations have not been made on the length of time 

 required for the nymphs to complete their growth on the trees 

 but on May 23, 1914, two first-stage nymphs were still present and^ 

 on June 4, the first fifth-stage nymph was observed. The insect 

 spends the winter in the egg stage. The eggs are probably in- 

 serted during late summer into the smaller twigs but have not 

 been definitely located. The following descriptions of the nymphal 

 stages are based on notes made during the spring of 1914 and of 

 1915. The drawings were made by the writer with the exception 

 of that of the fourth nymphal stage which was made by Miss 

 Anna C. Stryke. The injury to the foliage consists of a yellow 

 spotting or stippling which in more severe cases causes the leaves 

 to crumple in places. 



Stage I (Fig. 1): Length, .85 mm.; greatest width of abdomen, .45 mm. 

 Ground color reddish; head strongly suffused with dusky; thorax with a large 



1 Contribution from the Department of Entomology of Cornell University. 



