12 



BULLETIN 491, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



the writers chiefly in small fruits as illustrated in Plate XVIII, 

 figures 1 and 2. Deformities among cucumbers and squashes are 

 illustrated in Plates XIX and XX. These injuries are most often 

 the result of the irritating presence of batches of eggs or small 

 colonies of larva? present in the extreme outer portion of the fruit. 

 Such deformities are serious injuries, as they prevent the full nor- 

 mal expansion of the fruit during growth, as will be appreciated 

 when a comparison is made between figures 2 and 3, Plate XX, illus- 

 trating a badly deformed and a nearly perfect squash. Among 

 watermelons and gourds deformities usually follow mortalit}^ among 

 eggs and very young larvae, discussed elsewhere (page 46), but 

 among pumpkins and squashes they may develop about open wounds 

 made by larvae, as illustrated in Plate XX, figure 1. Early infesta- 

 tion of bean pods is evidenced frequently by a constriction in the pod 

 at the point of oviposition. 



FOOD PLANTS. 



The food plants of the melon fly may be divided into those pre- 

 ferred and those occasionally infested and may be listed as follows : 



1. Cantaloupe. 



2. Watermelon. 



3. Pumpkin. 



4. Squash. 



PREFERRED, CULTIVATED. 



5. Gourds. 



6. Chinese cucumber ( Mo- 



mordica sp.). 



7. Chinese melon. 



8. Cucumber. 



9. Tomato. 



10. String beans. 



11. Cowpeas. 



1. Eggplant. 



2. Water lemon (Passi 



flora ) . 



3. Orange. 



1. Sycos sp. 



OCCASIONALLY INFESTED, CULTIVATED 



4. Fig. 



5. Papaya. 



6. Peach. 



WILD. 



2. Momordica sp. 



7. Mango. 



8. Citrullus (Java). 



ERRONEOUSLY RECORDED HOST FRUITS. 



1 Kohlrabi. I 2. Cabbage. | 3. Peppers. 



CUCURBITACEOUS PLANTS. 



All the cucurbitaceous plants are subject to severe infestation, 

 particularly of the young fruits. Cantaloupes are the most sus- 

 ceptible, since the vines as well as the fruit are badly attacked at all 

 stages of growth and the fruits do not appear to develop the re- 

 sistance to attack found among the older watermelons, pumpkins, 

 and squashes. The ordinary cucumber is the most resistant to 



