KATYDIDS INJURIOUS TO ORANGES IN CALIFORNIA. 15 



FOOD PLANTS. 



In the San Joaquin Valley orange section the angular-winged 

 katydid, like the forked-tailed katydid, confines itself all but exclu- 

 sively to orange trees. Its eggs have been found a few times upon 

 an undetermined native weed, the latter always growing near orange 

 trees. Adults have been found upon grapevines adjoining an orange 

 grove, and males have repeatedly been heard loudly stridulating 

 in large pepper trees (Schinus molle) about Lindsay, Cal. According 

 to Riley 1 an allied species, Microcentrwn retinerve (Burm.), feeds upon 

 a great variety of foliage, including oak, apple, and cherry. 



DISTRIBUTION. - 



The angular-winged katydid has apparently about as wide a range 

 as Scudderia furcata, having been reported from the New England 

 States, Florida, and California. It occurs throughout the central 

 California citrus belt with the fork-tailed katydid, though it is not so 

 often found because less numerous. 



ld7e history. 



The Egg. 



The egg (PI. IV, fig. 1) may be described as follows: Length, 5.18 

 mm.; breadth, 2.47 mm.; thickness when first deposited, 0.5 mm.; 

 thickness just before hatching, 2.2 mm. Color light grayish brown; 

 elongate ovoid, flat to almost cylindrical laterally, depending upon 

 the degree of development. 



The eggs are glued in double rows along the sides of twigs from 

 one-eighth to one-fourth inch in diameter. These selected twigs 

 may be inside the leaf shelter of the tree or on the exterior. There 

 may be from 3 to 28 or more eggs in a batch, each egg overlapping 

 the one above it. The two rows always occur if more than one egg is 

 deposited, each egg of one row alternating with an egg in the other 

 row. The larger egg groups of this insect, composed of 24 or more 

 eggs, each about one-fifth inch long, arc decidedly conspicuous. 



INCUBATION PERIOD. 



The average duration of the egg stage is about 225 days. Eggs 

 deposited the last of September hatch in about 228 days, while those 

 deposited about the middle of October hatch in approximately 212 

 days. The time required for incubation thus depends upon the 

 time of season deposited, the period of hatching being shorter than 

 the period of deposition. Eggs laid from September 20 to Septem- 

 ber 30 batched from May 10 to 15, while those, deposited between 

 Oct ober 20 and 30 hatched from May 15 to 20. 



i Op. Hf.., p, 165-161. 



