INS]i:CT NOTES P'OR I912. 44I 



Gossyparia spuria Modeer. 



THi: EIvM SCALi;. (f'IG. 50O.) 



Modeer, Act. Goth. I, p. 43, 1778. 

 Felt. Ins. Affecting Park and Woodland Trees. I, 203, 1905. 

 Doten. Bui. No. 65. Agr. Expt. Sta. Univ. of Nevada, 1908. 



This scale is frequently mentioned in literature under the 

 name of Gossyparia ulmi. 



"Description. The adult females are by far the most conspicuous 

 form of this insect. They may be seen clustered along the under side 

 of the smaller limbs, usually beside a crack or crevice in the bark, and 

 presenting a general resemblance to a growth of lichens. The full 

 grown, viviparous females are about i-io inch long just before giving 

 birth to their young, oval in outline and with slightly pointed extremi- 

 ties. Each is surrounded with a white, wooly secretion, which also 

 extends partly over the insect and thus renders its segmentation more 

 apparent. 



"The young are yellowish specks and may easily be recognized as 

 they move over the younger limbs and leaves. They have an elongated, 

 oval form, rounded anteriorly and tapering posteriorly to a pair of 

 pointed processes, each bearing a long and a short seta. The body 

 segments are marked by lateral spines and there is a row of six around 

 the anterior border of the head and an irregular row down the middle 

 of the back. The young soon become darker and finally assume a 

 yellowish red color. The dorsum becomes covered with a spiny, wax 

 secreting processes, and the general form of the young larva is retained. 

 The antenna of the female before impregnation is composed like that 

 of the young, of 6 subequal segments, the second and third being the 

 longest and the fourth and fifth shortest. The antenna of the imma- 

 ture male has 6 nearly equal segments and a longer seventh. * * * 

 The presence of the perfect insect within may be known by the two 

 long, protruding anal filaments. The male is not seen without special 

 search. It is a delicate, two winged, reddish insect with rather large 

 antennae, and a pair of white anal filaments nearly twice the length of 

 its body. It moves slowly over the limbs in a clumsy way, is not easily 

 disturbed and rarely takes wing. A most interesting feature is the 

 occurrence of two forms. The normal one has already been described, 

 but 10 days earlier than its occurrence there may be found large num- 

 bers of males which are characterized by the possession of wing pads 

 but no wings. These are known, as pseudimagos. The reason for the 

 existence of two forms of males is unknown." (Felt 1905). 



Life history. The winter is passed as partly grown insects 

 which are well ])rotected by the waxy secretions. In the spring 

 they become active and do the most damage. The young, which 

 are brought forth alive, make their appearance in midsummer, 

 settling on the leaves from which they migrate at the approach 



