Report ot' the state entomologist 1913 43 



Niagara grapes, even when growing among Campbell's Early, appear 

 almost exempt from the trouble. 



Life history and habits. The young bugs or nymphs cause most 

 of the injury in early June, blasting blossoms and the young fruit 

 by sucking the sap. They attain maturity early in July and the 

 winter is presumably passed in the tgg stage as in the case of the 

 allied tarnished plant bug. It is possible that this insect can main- 

 tain itself in vineyards where no other food plant is present. It 

 has been recorded from both sumac and the bladder nut, Staphylea. 



Description. The adult, kindly determined by Mr E. P. Van 

 Duzee, has been characterized briefly above and the original de- 

 scription is reproduced herewith. 



Body black. Head with a dull yellowish line and superior or- 

 bits, variegated at the mouth and beneath. Antennae, first joint 

 more than half the length of the second, and rather robust, hairy; 

 second joint a little thicker at tip. Thorax yellowish, anterior 

 margin, two dots, and a slight dot near the posterior angles black; 

 scutel yellowish, dusky on the middle of the base and on the basal 

 angles. Hemelytra immaculate. Feet with minute, pale points. 



Length to tip of hemelytra nearly one-fourth of an inch. 



This species is said by Van Duzee to be very variable. He states 

 that the most abundant form in the vicinity of Buffalo is the pale 

 or ochreous variety generally taken on Staphylea. There is another 

 variety, possibly a distinct species, which has the pronotum black 

 with the narrow edge and three longitudinal vittae ochreous. 



A detailed characterization of the nymph is given below. 



Nymph. Length 4 mm, width 1.75 mm. Antennae about as long 

 as the body, the basal segment rich brown and thickly set with 

 short, stout setae, the second segment more than twice the length 

 of the first, the distal two-thirds dark brown and thickly setose, the 

 basal portion white, the third segment about half the second, the 

 basal portion white, the distal dark red, sparsely setose, the fourth 

 segment one-third longer than the third, brownish yellow, each 

 segment more slender than the preceding. Face short, roundly 

 triangular, the base of the rostrum sparsely setose ; occiput a variable 

 yellowish green with indistinct brownish markings anteriorly; eyes 

 reddish brown. Mesonotum mostly yellowish green, the anterior and 

 posterior lateral margins a variable fuscous. Wing pads greenish 

 basally, reddish brown apically and extending to the third abdom- 

 inal segment. Abdomen dorsally with the basal segment greenish, 

 the succeeding segments to the sixth greenish and variably mottled 

 sublaterally with dark reddish brown, the distal segments dorsally 

 dark reddish brown, except for an indistinct oval median area 

 apically, which is mostly green ; the entire dorsum of the body 



