RlirORT OF THK STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I907 4O7 



third, fcrrth and fifth being white, all sparsely haired. Wings hya- 

 line. Legs a nearly uniform dull brown. 



Taken at Nassau, N. Y., July i, 1906. 



Type C. 429, N. Y. State Museum. 



LESTODiPLOSis KietT. 



Tliis genus, as recognized by us, is easily separated from all other 

 Diplosids by the very characteristic triangular lobe at the base of 

 the slender basal clasp segment. The dorsal plate is rather long, 

 rather deeply and triangularly- emarginate, the lobes being nearly 

 parallel and broadly rounded, while the ventral plate is long, rather 

 broad and narrowly rounded apically. Species referable to this 

 group are rather small, ranging from .75 to about 2 mm in length, 

 usually yellowish or reddish, though a few are brov/nish. 



Species of this genus are very frequently bred from various 

 galls and in certain cases at least, are probably zoophagous. This 

 is undoubtedly true of L. grass a tor Fyles, and presumably so 

 of a number of other species, though it will be observed by refer- 

 ring to the following records, that a considerable number of species 

 have been bred from flowers or rolled leaves. These may be en- 

 tirely responsible for the vegetable deformities or partly so, living 

 as commensals, or it is possible that they may be the cause of 

 certain malformations. It is impossible, in the present state of our 

 knowledge, to make definite statements respecting the habits of 

 these species. It is worthy of notice, however, that those reared 

 from difl^erent plants, present variations which lead us to regard 

 them as distinct species. Certain species in the following table are 

 given in two divisions as having the wings either hyaline or spotted. 

 This is due to the fact that it is very difficult to draw a sharp line 

 between spotted and unspotted wings in cases where there are 

 numerous gradations. Furthermore, females which are not repre- 

 sented in the following table, frequently have spotted wings, while 

 their consorts have the organs of flight hyaline. This character, 

 though variable, is a very convenient one upon which to make pri- 

 mary divisions. 



Key to species 



a Wings hyaline 



b Wings narrow, the length thrice the width 

 c Abdomen brownish 



d Abdomen 3'cllcwish Ijrown. the stems of the 5th antenna! seg- 

 ment with a length ^14 times the diameter, the distal node with 

 a length 54 greater than its diameter; bred from fusiform galls on 

 cherry twigs c e r a s i n. sp., C. a 1593a 



