142 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Lasioptera mitchellae Felt 

 1908 Felt, E. P. N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 124, p. 325 



The fusiform stem gall of this species was taken on Wolfsfang, 

 Lycopus virginicus or L. sinuatus at Washington, 

 D. C, by Miss E. G. Mitchell and transmitted to this office under 

 date of March 23, 1907. 



Gall. This fusiform stem gall is 1.5 to 2 cm long and .5 to .8 cm 

 in diameter. The thickened portion is soft, spongy and near the 

 center are two or three cells each containing a 

 plump, whitish larva 2 or 3 mm in length. 



Larva. Length 2 mm, pale orange. Head 

 small; antennae slender; breastbone rather stout, 

 slightly expanded apically, bidentate, with a 

 minute median tooth; skin coarsely shagreened; 

 posterior extremity broadly rounded. 



Male. Length 2 mm. Antennae dark brown, 

 basally whitish; 16 segments, the fifth with a 

 length a little greater than its diameter ; terminal 

 segment slightly produced, ovate. Palpi; the 

 first segment short, stout, irregularly subquad- 

 rate, the second longer, roundly rectangular, the 

 third one-fourth longer and more slender than 

 the second, the fourth one-half longer and more 

 slender than the third. Face with a conspicuous 

 patch of whitish scales below the antennae. 

 Mesonotum dark brown, variably margined later- 

 ally and anteriorly with silvery white, the sub- 

 median lines sparsely haired. Scutellum reddish 

 brown, post scutellum a little darker. Abdomen 

 dark brown, the basal segment thickly clothed 

 with silvery white scales, the second to seventh 



asiop- 



Fig. 1 



tera mitch- segments narrowly margined posteriorly with 

 ellae, gall about silvery white; ventral surface with a broad 

 natural size (orig- median, silvery white stripe. Wings hyaline, 

 i na l) costa dark brown, the third vein uniting with 



costa near the basal half. Halteres whitish trans- 

 parent. Legs a variable fuscous yellowish, the middle of the femora 

 and tibiae darker; claws rather long, slender, strongly curved, the 

 pulvilli about as long as the claws. Genitalia; basal clasp segment 

 long, obliquely rounded; terminal clasp segment swollen at the 

 base; dorsal plate short, broad, deeply and triangularly emarginate; 

 ventral plate broad. Harpes rather stout at base, tapering. 



Female. Length 2 mm. Antennae dark brown, yellowish basally; 

 21 segments, the fifth with a length a little greater than its diameter; 

 terminal segment somewhat produced, broadly obconic. Palpi; 

 the first segment short, stout, subquadrate, the second one-half 

 longer than the first, stout, rounded at the extremities, the third 

 one-half longer than the second, more slender, slightly dilated 



