THE SMOKY CRANE-FLY. 121 



letter to this office, records a very serious outbreak of Tipulidse 

 (Tipula simplex Doane) in central California during the season of 

 1907, and states that thousands of acres of wheat and grass lands and 

 clover fields were absolutely stripped of verdure. 



In Europe Tipula oleracea L. and other species have long been 

 recognized as important pests. 



DESCRIPTION. 

 THE ADULT. 



The species was originally described by Loew (1863) from a single 

 female specimen. The original description, translated by the author, 

 is as follows: 



Gray, thoracic stripes brownish gray, darkly margined, median stripe imper- 

 fectly divided; abdomen darkly testaceous, median line clouded, posterior 

 margin of each segment, all of the last segments, and the base of the ovipositor 

 brownish gray, opaque ; wings uniformly faintly clouded, the apex of the same 

 color, costal cell and stigma clouded. Length of body 1\ lines, length of wings 

 from 7| to 7f lines. Head gray, rostrum reddish brown, becoming gray above, 

 palpi dark yellow, apex nearly black. First antennal segment reddish brown, 

 grayish, second segment red, flagellum black, basal segment red. Dorsum of 

 thorax gray, stripes brownish gray and more darkly margined, median stripe 

 imperfectly divided. Pleura whitish gray. Abdomen dark testaceous, posterior 

 margin of each segment, all of last segments, lateral margin, and base of ovi- 

 positor grayish brown, opaque, narrow median stripe fuscus. Lamellae of the 

 ovipositor rufotestaceous, the upper ones pointed and slightly curved inward. 

 Wings faintly clouded, apex of the same color, first basal cell and stigma brown. 



Note. — Very close to Tipula helva, except that the whole body is darker 

 and the wings are more evenly colored. 



In addition to the original description the author desires to add the 

 following : 



Female (fig. 60). — Ovipositor consisting of 4 external, brown, chitinous plates 

 and a semichitinous yellow lingulaform appendage. Upper plates one-third 

 longer than lower ones, sword-shaped, slightly flexed ventrad ; on inner surface 

 of fused upper plates a hemispherical, bilobed, membranous cushion closely 

 set with fine hairs ; lower plates truncate and nearly concealed by upper plates 

 when insect is at rest ; inner surface of each lower plate with several hairs ; 

 lingulaform appendage triangularly grooved dorsally, and quite hairy. Length 

 of body, 18 mm.; wing, 15.5 mm. (measurements made from dried specimens). 



Male (fig. 61). — General color of head and thorax brownish gray, abdomen 

 and legs yellow, eyes. black, rostrum yellowish brown below and pale yellowish 

 gray above, palpi clouded ; scape of antennae yellowish gray, distal half of joint 

 3 and remaining joints brown. Thorax marked with a light-gray median line 

 which is distinct anteriorly but fades out about half way to the V-shaped 

 suture; a light-gray margin around the anterior border of the mesothorax, 

 widening to triangular patches at the spiracles, and 2 longitudinal lines par- 

 allel to the median line, arising at the apices of the triangular patches and 

 extending backward to the V-shaped suture; pleura and coxae whitish gray; 

 femora light yellow, densely clothed with short black hairs; tibia and tarsi 

 darker and clothed with short black hairs. Abdomen with narrow ventral, 



