72 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Imago. The adult has been described by Dr Dyar as follows : 



Forewing of male with a small patch of black scales beneath 

 subcostally. Wings dark gray, the inner band beyond the sub- 

 basal patch of raised scales very broad, creamy white, shading 

 to orange below, especially wide in its lower part. In the male 

 the basal space and all of the thorax are white ; in the female, 

 these parts are gray. Discal dots joined. Outer line wavy crenu- 

 late, defined by an outward creamy shade. Hind wing light at 

 the base in the male, entirely fuscous in the female. Expanse, 

 14-17 millimeters. 



Fig. 1 Rhododendron lace bug: a nymph; d adult; / spine enlarged (after Heidemann) 



Rhododendron lace bug 



Leptobyrsa explanata Heid. 



The delicate, lace-winged bugs excite the admiration of all 

 close observers on account of their exquisite sculpturing. This 

 species is no exception to the rule though on account of its 

 rather serious injuries to Rhododendrons in the vicinity of New 

 York city and also at Rochester, it has been the occasion of con- 

 siderable complaint. The curiously spined young occur on the 

 underside of the leaves during May and June, while the strik- 

 •ingly marked adults may be seen in early July. This species 

 draws the sap from the underside of the leaf tissues, producing 

 unsightly brown spotting accompanied by more or less serious 

 injury to the foliage. Furthermore, the deposit of the eggs in the 

 leaf tissues is an additional source of injury. 



Description. The perfect insect is about 14, of an inch long, 

 its delicately sculptured wings [fig. id] with sharply defined, trans- 

 verse, brown marks near the middle being characteristic. The young 



