306 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1909. 



NEW SPECIES. 



It is possible that some of the species described as new may 

 prove to be synonyms of European species, but as the incon- 

 venience of a synonymy is so much less than the confusion of 

 a composite species it seemed wise not to attempt comparison 

 with European species until a careful study had been made 

 of these Chermes as they occur in Maine. 



The first brief descriptions of floccus, consolidatus , and lari- 

 ciatus were published in Psyche, December, 1909. 



CHERMES IN EUROPE. 



Many important and admirable studies of Chermes species 

 have been carried on in Europe by such careful workers as 

 Blochmann, Borner, Cholodkovsky, Dampf, Dreyfus, Mord- 

 wilko, Niisslin. A comprehensive review of this work with 

 bibliography appeared in Zoologisches Zentralblatt, Dec., 1909. 

 Zusammenfassende Ubersicht. Die neueren Ergebnisse und Auf- 

 gaben der Chermes-Porschung von Prof. O. Niisslin in 

 Karlsruhe. 



HOST PLANTS. 



The host plants in the following key are recorded solely on 

 the basis of one season's careful collection in the vicinity of 

 Orono. The list of host plants may need to be extended later 

 but it is accurate so far as it goes. In recording the collections 

 of the galls, the botanical distinctions between the red and 

 black spruces has been observed, though entomologically these 

 might pass for one species. Chermes at any rate does not pay 

 any attention to the distinction. 



KEY TO THE CHERMES OF MAINE CONIFERS. 



A. Galls on black spruce (Picea mariana B. S. P.) and red spruce 



(Picea rubra Dietr.) 

 Gall terminal. 



I. Gall conelike, needles modified to thin scales. Ripening mid- 

 June. Migrants ovipositing on needles of white pine. (Pinus 

 strobus L.) pinifoliae. 



