130 





THE SPRING GRAIN-APHIS OR GREEN BUG. 



11 



in grain fields badly infested with plant-lice, and when quite num- 

 erous attract attention by a buzzing n<:>ise made while in night. The 

 predaceous larvae are sluglike and of a dirty grayish or yellowish 



green color; this is the only stage in which they are destructive to 



<»# 



Fig. 41.— The sported lady-beetle ( MegiUa m> 

 empty pupa skin; c, adi 



in-aphis: a, Lar 



plant-lice. Little is known of the life histories of these insects as 

 very few careful rearings have been made. 



Syrpkus an s Wied. fig. 43) and Eupt s O. S. 



(fig. 44) were by far the most numerous syrphids in the grain fields in 



the Southwest in 1 907. A field at 

 Kingfisher, Okla.. in April, I! 

 literally swarmed with them; 20 

 or more could be taken with each 

 sweep of an insect net. A curious 

 fact with reference to their occur- 

 rence in such abundance in this 

 field, however, was that Toxoptera 

 was not present there in destruc- 

 tive abundance, while the adjoin- 

 ing field was suiTering greatly from 

 their attack, though, curiously 

 enough, the syrphid flies did n>t 

 appear to be so plentiful there. 

 These two species were present, 

 apparently . over the entire south- 

 western area that suffered greatly from Toxoptera attack in 1007. 

 Syrphusamericanus was reared also from Toxoptera material sent in by 

 Mr. E. C. Haynsworth from Sumter. S. C. Prof. J. M. Aldrich states in 

 his catalogue of North American Diptera that he reared Evpeode* 

 oris from A. I Is at* rue at Moscow, Idaho. Dr. C. V. Riley states, 



v South African lady-beetle, Adalia flam- 

 nutertlata, which with its larva attacks the spring 

 grain-aphis in the Orange free State, South 

 Africa. Enlarged. (Original.) 



