36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



wheat midge of America. It has been tacitly assumed that the 

 species destructive here was the one responsible for the general and 

 extended damage of earlier years in certain European countries, 

 particularly England and France. It happens that there are two 

 small midges very similar in appearance and with nearly identical 

 habits which infest the developing heads of wheat and some other 

 small grains. Rearings from wheat midge maggots in New York 

 State and Ontario, Canada, produced a small fly identified with very 

 little question as the species bearing the technical name given above. 

 It is easily distinguished from the one (Contarinia tritici 

 Kirby) commonly supposed to be prevalent in this country since the 

 species in America has a short, stout ovipositor less than one-half 

 the length of the body when extended, while the same organ in the other 

 species has a length approximately twice that of the body. Both are 

 so similar in general appearance that it is not surprising they were 

 confused and this misunderstanding, which has prevailed for more 

 than half a century, illustrates the practical difficulties in studying 

 the flies belonging to this very interesting and not unimportant group. 

 Furthermore, it should be noted that although there has been a change 

 in the scientific name, the American records of earlier years appearing 

 under the name of Cecidomyia, Diplosis or Conta- 

 rinia tritici Kirby, refer with very little question to this com- 

 paratively unknown species. 



The situation is not so simple as appears from the above account, 

 since there are specimens in American collections recorded as having 

 been reared from wheat heads which closely resemble the species 

 under discussion. One of these was labeled as wheat midge by the 

 late Doctor Fitch, a man who had unexampled opportunities of 

 studying the insect during the serious outbreaks about 1850, and 

 another was found in the collections of the United .States National 

 Museum at Washington and was labeled Cecidomyia tri- 

 tici Kirby. Neither the one nor the other was our wheat midge, 

 and they have been described b}^ the writer as Prodiplosis 

 . :t c h i i 1 and Itonida tritici 2. Both of these species are 

 entirely different from either of the wheat midges known to cause 

 serious injury and it is presumable that they occurred in relatively 

 small numbers and that their earlier identification as the species so 

 destructive to wheat was a mischance which might easily occur when 

 it is remembered that a considerable series of these midges, although 

 very distinct when closely studied, present very striking general 

 resemblances. 



1 191 2, Econ. Ent. Jotir., 5:288. 

 ^ 1912, Econ. Ent. Jour., 5:289. 



