﻿403 
  

  

  pentagona 
  by 
  Prospaltella 
  herlesei 
  are 
  described 
  in 
  detail. 
  During 
  a 
  

   special 
  visit 
  to 
  Italy, 
  the 
  author 
  found 
  that 
  in 
  Venetia, 
  control 
  by 
  the 
  

   parasite 
  had 
  proved 
  completely 
  successful 
  and 
  exceedingly 
  good 
  

   results 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  Lombardy. 
  In 
  the 
  colder 
  region 
  of 
  Piedmont 
  

   the 
  services 
  rendered 
  by 
  Prospaltella 
  were 
  beginning 
  (Feb. 
  1913) 
  to 
  be 
  

   appreciated, 
  though 
  not 
  yet 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  degree 
  as 
  in 
  Venetia. 
  The 
  

   results 
  are, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  less 
  rapid 
  in 
  Piedmont. 
  The 
  very 
  rapid 
  diffusion 
  

   of 
  A. 
  pentagona 
  renders 
  artificial 
  control 
  nearly 
  impossible, 
  while 
  

   control 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  parasite 
  is 
  general 
  and 
  permanent 
  if 
  the 
  parasite 
  

   be 
  reallv 
  efficacious. 
  

  

  Lesne 
  (P.). 
  La 
  mouche 
  de 
  I'asperge. 
  [The 
  asparagus 
  fly.] 
  — 
  Ann. 
  du 
  

   Service 
  des 
  Epijohyties 
  (1912), 
  Paris, 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  228-247, 
  5 
  figs., 
  

   2 
  pis. 
  [Received 
  18th 
  Feb. 
  1914.] 
  

  

  The 
  asparagus 
  fly, 
  Platyparea 
  poeciloptera, 
  Schrank, 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  

   MusciDAE. 
  First 
  described 
  in 
  1776, 
  it 
  was 
  observed 
  doing 
  injury 
  

   in 
  Germany 
  by 
  Bouche 
  (1847) 
  and 
  then 
  in 
  Austria 
  by 
  Loew 
  (1862), 
  

   Taschenberg 
  (1866), 
  Schmidt-Goebel 
  (1881) 
  and 
  Bolle 
  (1900). 
  In 
  

   France 
  the 
  extensive 
  damage 
  done 
  at 
  Argenteuil 
  was 
  noticed 
  by 
  

   Giard 
  in 
  1903, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  it 
  occurs 
  over 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  around 
  Paris, 
  

   appearing 
  towards 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April. 
  Adults 
  continue 
  to 
  emerge 
  

   from 
  winter 
  pupae 
  until 
  early 
  in 
  July, 
  males 
  slightly 
  outnumbering 
  

   females. 
  The 
  flight 
  is 
  heavy 
  and 
  far 
  less 
  swift 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  other 
  

   MusciDAE. 
  The 
  female 
  has 
  a 
  sword-shaped 
  ovipositor 
  with 
  which 
  

   she 
  punctures 
  the 
  asparagus 
  " 
  head 
  " 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  from 
  its 
  tip 
  and 
  

   just 
  beneath 
  a 
  bud. 
  The 
  egg 
  being 
  laid, 
  the 
  female 
  turns 
  round 
  and 
  

   sucks 
  the 
  exuding 
  sap 
  before 
  laying 
  another 
  egg 
  elsewhere. 
  She 
  does 
  

   not 
  always 
  deposit 
  an 
  egg 
  in 
  the 
  puncture, 
  but 
  never 
  fails 
  to 
  suck 
  the 
  

   sap. 
  The 
  author 
  has 
  observed 
  a 
  captive 
  female 
  make 
  55 
  punctures 
  

   in 
  24 
  hours 
  on 
  3 
  heads 
  of 
  freshly 
  cut 
  asparagus. 
  The 
  egg 
  generally 
  

   lies 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  J 
  to 
  1 
  mm. 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  it 
  is 
  laid 
  outside 
  the 
  puncture 
  

   and 
  does 
  not 
  then 
  hatch. 
  Heads 
  just 
  emerging 
  from 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  

   those 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  inches 
  high 
  are 
  equally 
  attacked, 
  less 
  often 
  those 
  20 
  inches 
  

   high. 
  Up 
  to 
  60 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  female, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  

   minimum 
  figure 
  as 
  the 
  ovaries 
  also 
  contained 
  many 
  ovules 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  development. 
  At 
  a 
  mean 
  temperature 
  of 
  58°-60° 
  Fahr. 
  

   the 
  embryo 
  develops 
  in 
  60 
  to 
  70 
  hours, 
  while 
  at 
  about 
  69° 
  Fahr. 
  48 
  

   hours 
  are 
  sufficient. 
  The 
  larva 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  Muscid 
  character 
  and 
  

   were 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  third 
  week 
  in 
  July. 
  Pupation 
  

   begins 
  toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June 
  ; 
  about 
  the 
  25th 
  June 
  the 
  larvae 
  were 
  

   still 
  in 
  the 
  majorit}^, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  July 
  the 
  pupae 
  were 
  more 
  

   numerous. 
  Platyparea 
  has 
  only 
  one 
  annual 
  generation 
  and 
  passes 
  at 
  least 
  

   10 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  pupal 
  state. 
  The 
  young 
  larvae 
  bore 
  vertical 
  galleries 
  

   down 
  the 
  stem 
  a 
  little 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface, 
  which 
  soon 
  discolour. 
  

   This 
  discoloration 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  grey 
  or 
  brown 
  cicatrice, 
  which 
  

   impedes 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  on 
  that 
  side 
  and 
  causes 
  it 
  to 
  curve, 
  

   thus 
  indicating 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  insect. 
  The 
  larvae 
  have 
  by 
  then 
  

   consumed 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  tissues. 
  The 
  gallery 
  occasionally 
  

   goes 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  root, 
  but 
  never 
  penetrates 
  it. 
  The 
  larva 
  then 
  ascends 
  

   without 
  making 
  a 
  new 
  gallery 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  soil. 
  It 
  

   then 
  excavates 
  a 
  passage 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  but 
  leaving 
  

  

  