Ninth Befori of the Si ate Entomologist 



319 



Through tlie kindness of Mr. M. V. Slingerland, of the Cornell 



University, Ithaca, N. Y., 

 we are enabled to present 

 the excellent figures of the 

 insect in its immature and 

 perfect stages which illus- 

 trate this notice. Figure 

 9 represents the insect in 



Fig. 11 — Head of the pear-tree Psylla: a, front view; 6, •, .4? + 'r\ A i^nrm- 



antenna greatly enlarged: c, ffontal cones; o, ocelli. ItS periect Wingea Stage; 



in Figure 10 the venation and markings of the wings are shown, greatly 

 enlarged; Figure 11 gives enlargements of the head and antenna*, show- 

 ing the two characteristic bristles at the tip of the antenna. 



The Family Psyllidae, 



The family to which this species belongs is nearly related to the 

 Aphides {Aphididcp), or plant-lice, coming next to it among the 

 Homoptera in classification, but are stouter forms and of firmer texture. 

 In general appearance the winged insects look like miniature Cicadas. 

 Their head is broad, short, generally triangular in front, where it is 

 cleft or bilobed with the lobes projecting conically forward; the eyes 

 are large and project from the sides, with three simple eyes or ocelli in 

 a triangle on top of the head; the antennae are rather long, slender, and 

 thread-like, usually ten jointed and terminate in two small bristles — a 

 distinguishing characteristic of the family; the beak is short, three- 

 jointed and arises from between the fore-legs, and is fitted with a groove 

 for securing it. The wings are sub-leathery or transparent, large, the 

 front pair with the midrib three-branched, and these again bifurcating 

 (see Figure 10); in repose they are placed over the abdomen in a steep 

 roof; the hind wings have a few longitudinal and delicate veins. The 

 abdomen of the female ends in a short conical ovipositor. The legs are 

 fitted for leaping, having the thighs (femora) thick and the hindmost 

 shanks (tibiae) armed with spines; the feet (tarsi) are two-jointed. In 

 their abilit}^ to leap, as also in their feeding habits, they resemble the 

 smaller leaf -hoppers of the grapevine and rose. 



The larvai have a broad head, flat body, rounded abdomen, with the 

 antennae at first one-jointed. Some species are covered with a cot- 

 tony secretion, or they may be naked, or covered with a lioney-dew as 

 in the pear-tree Psylla. The pup?e are distinguishable by their stouter 

 forms and the projecting wing-pads on their sides. 



Earliest Notice of the Pear Psylla in the United States. 



According to Dr. Harris, this insect was observed by Dr. Ovid Plumb, 

 of Salisbury, Conn,, ^'in the spring of 1833, on some imported pear 



