﻿PACKARD] 
  POTATO-INSECTS 
  OF 
  EUROPE. 
  735' 
  

  

  a 
  clull-ocherous 
  tint, 
  becomiug 
  darker 
  as 
  tbe 
  period 
  approaches 
  of 
  the 
  

   birth 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  j 
  the 
  antennse, 
  eyes, 
  wings, 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  visible 
  beneath 
  

   their 
  horny 
  sheaths. 
  At 
  this 
  period 
  they 
  are 
  deprived 
  of 
  locomotion, 
  

   but 
  the 
  larvae, 
  although 
  perfect 
  maggots, 
  and 
  destitute 
  of 
  feet, 
  are 
  able 
  

   to 
  move 
  along 
  in 
  moisture, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  waving 
  about 
  and 
  thrust- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  their 
  heads 
  with 
  great 
  energy. 
  There 
  are 
  thirty 
  species 
  of 
  these 
  

   flies 
  which 
  inhabit 
  England, 
  and 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  bred 
  

   from 
  putrid 
  potatoes. 
  One 
  is 
  called 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Sciara 
  fncala 
  Meig. 
  — 
  When 
  alive 
  it 
  is 
  1 
  line 
  long. 
  The 
  male 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  inky 
  black, 
  

   the 
  head 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  spherical, 
  with 
  two 
  triarticulate 
  feelers 
  bent 
  under, 
  the 
  two 
  

   horns 
  are 
  not 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  thorax, 
  tapering, 
  pubescent, 
  inserted 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  ohe 
  face, 
  

   and 
  sixteen 
  -join 
  ted 
  ; 
  two 
  basal 
  joints 
  the 
  stoutest, 
  the 
  remainder 
  oblong, 
  apex 
  conical 
  ; 
  

   eyes 
  lateral, 
  kidney-shaped, 
  and 
  coarsely 
  granulated; 
  ocelli 
  three, 
  but 
  unequal; 
  trunk 
  

   gibbose, 
  subquadrate, 
  scooped 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  with 
  two 
  indistinct 
  lines 
  of 
  short 
  ochreous 
  

   hairs 
  down 
  the 
  back 
  ; 
  scutel 
  lunate, 
  postscutel 
  oval, 
  of 
  a 
  grayish 
  color 
  ; 
  abdomen 
  slen- 
  

   der, 
  greenish-black, 
  brownish 
  after 
  death, 
  seven-jointed; 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  segments 
  

   pale, 
  apex 
  obtuse, 
  and 
  furnished 
  with 
  two 
  incurved 
  biarticulate 
  lobes 
  ; 
  two 
  wings, 
  in- 
  

   cumbent 
  in 
  repose, 
  parallel, 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  body, 
  iridescent, 
  slightly 
  smoky, 
  but 
  

   transijarent 
  and 
  clear 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  nervures 
  brown, 
  excepting 
  the 
  central 
  one, 
  which 
  

   is 
  scarcely 
  visible, 
  but 
  forked 
  and 
  dark 
  at 
  the 
  margin 
  ; 
  the 
  costal 
  nervure 
  does 
  not 
  

   reach 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  forked 
  cell 
  ; 
  balancers 
  pale, 
  dirty 
  yellow 
  or 
  ochreous 
  ; 
  six 
  legs, 
  

   long, 
  slender, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  dirty-yellow 
  or 
  pale-olive 
  tint. 
  Female 
  similar, 
  but 
  larger, 
  being 
  

   1^ 
  line 
  long, 
  the 
  wings 
  expanding 
  nearly 
  3 
  lines, 
  the 
  thorax 
  is 
  not 
  narrowed 
  behind 
  ; 
  

   the 
  abdomen 
  is 
  spindle-shaped, 
  attenuated, 
  and 
  conical, 
  terminating 
  in 
  two 
  little 
  par- 
  

   allel 
  sheaths 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  balancers 
  are 
  dusky 
  when 
  dry. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  was 
  bred 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1845-46, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  1848, 
  in 
  vast 
  quantities 
  ; 
  tbe 
  

   flies 
  are 
  also 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  summer 
  in 
  fields 
  and 
  gardens, 
  on 
  umbellate 
  flow- 
  

   ers 
  and 
  on 
  grasses. 
  I 
  have 
  likewise 
  bred 
  them 
  from 
  rotten 
  turnips 
  in 
  March. 
  

  

  "S. 
  quinque-lineata 
  of 
  Macquart 
  is 
  1-J- 
  line 
  long. 
  ' 
  It 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  five 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  

   thorax 
  of 
  a 
  deep 
  dull 
  gray 
  ; 
  anterior 
  hips 
  testaceous; 
  wings 
  almost 
  hyaline 
  ; 
  ' 
  balancers 
  

   brown 
  or 
  dirty 
  white. 
  

  

  " 
  Specimens 
  agreeing 
  with 
  this 
  description 
  were 
  bred 
  from 
  rotten 
  potatoes 
  in 
  March, 
  

   1848, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  tubers 
  containing 
  the 
  larvse 
  and 
  pupte 
  also. 
  The 
  pota- 
  

   toes 
  were 
  like 
  old 
  rotten 
  cheese, 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  outside 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  slimy 
  

   threads, 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Graham 
  saw 
  the 
  larvse 
  spin. 
  He 
  thinks 
  they 
  cause 
  the 
  'scab' 
  in 
  

   potatoes 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  saw 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  vestige 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  on 
  one 
  variety 
  of 
  my 
  potatoes, 
  

   which 
  was 
  very 
  scabby. 
  

  

  ''S.pulicaria? 
  Meigen, 
  Hoff., 
  is 
  i 
  a 
  line 
  long 
  or 
  tipward, 
  and 
  is 
  distinguished 
  from 
  

   the 
  two 
  foregoing 
  species 
  by 
  its 
  longer 
  antennse, 
  which 
  are 
  equal 
  in 
  length 
  to 
  the 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  body. 
  It 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  testaceous 
  legs; 
  the 
  wings 
  almost 
  hyaline; 
  balancers 
  

   brown. 
  

  

  ''My 
  specimens 
  being 
  as 
  big 
  again 
  as 
  Meigen's, 
  with 
  ochreous 
  balancers, 
  I 
  am 
  doubt- 
  

   ful 
  if 
  they 
  be 
  the 
  S. 
  pulcaria 
  of 
  that 
  author. 
  I 
  bred 
  them 
  in 
  August, 
  1845, 
  from 
  a 
  rotten 
  

   potato. 
  

  

  " 
  Another 
  dipterous 
  insect 
  was 
  bred 
  from 
  the 
  potatoes 
  in 
  less 
  quantities. 
  It 
  also 
  be- 
  

   longs 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Tipulid^, 
  and 
  the 
  genus 
  Scailwj)se. 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  Meigen's. 
  

  

  " 
  S. 
  punctata. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  black 
  and 
  shining, 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  small, 
  the 
  eyes 
  are 
  kidney-shaped, 
  

   with 
  three 
  little 
  ocelli 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  ; 
  the 
  antennse 
  are 
  short, 
  stout, 
  cylindrical, 
  and 
  

   composed 
  of 
  eleven 
  cup-shaped 
  joints 
  ; 
  thorax 
  elongated 
  and 
  somewhat 
  com]Dressed, 
  

   with 
  a 
  white 
  dot 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  ; 
  scutel 
  small 
  and 
  rough 
  ; 
  abdomen 
  broad, 
  oval, 
  and 
  de- 
  

   pressed 
  ; 
  wings 
  am]ile, 
  resting 
  horizontally, 
  transparent 
  and 
  iridescent, 
  with 
  a 
  black, 
  

   costal, 
  subcostal, 
  and 
  basal 
  nervure, 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  united 
  beyond 
  the 
  middle, 
  

   and 
  divided 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  by 
  an 
  oblique 
  nervure; 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  four 
  other 
  very 
  faint 
  

   longitudinal 
  ntTvures,the 
  apical 
  one 
  forked, 
  the 
  anal 
  one 
  waved; 
  balancers 
  yellowish 
  ; 
  

   legs 
  simple, 
  longish, 
  and 
  rusty 
  ; 
  extremity 
  of 
  thighs 
  and 
  shanks 
  variegated 
  with 
  

   fuscous 
  ; 
  feet 
  brown, 
  five-jointed, 
  terminated 
  by 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  minute 
  claws 
  ; 
  length, 
  1^ 
  line 
  ; 
  

   expanse, 
  3^ 
  lines. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  larvse 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  flies 
  proceed 
  live 
  in 
  various 
  putrid 
  sub- 
  

   stances, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  dung; 
  they 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  bred 
  from 
  the 
  cocoons 
  

   of 
  silk-worms, 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  containing 
  decomposing 
  caterpillars 
  or 
  

   rotten 
  pupce; 
  they 
  are 
  from 
  2 
  lines 
  to 
  nearly 
  ^ 
  inch 
  long, 
  flat 
  and 
  

   narrowed 
  at 
  both 
  ends, 
  of 
  a 
  dirty 
  grayish-yellow 
  color; 
  tbe 
  head 
  is 
  

   brown 
  and 
  oval, 
  with 
  two 
  short 
  feelers 
  ; 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  twelve 
  

   pubescent 
  segments, 
  the 
  first 
  thoracic 
  one 
  with 
  a 
  prominent 
  spiracle 
  on 
  

  

  