1 84 INSECT LIFE. 



7. Label your specimens properly. The species 

 belongs to the order Coleoptera ; the family CuRCU- 

 LIONID^ (Cur-cu-li-on'i-das), The Curculios (Cur-cu' li-os) 

 or Weevils ; and the specific name of this curculio is 

 Conotrachelus nenuphar {Con-o-tra-che' lus nen' u-phor'). 



The Pomace-flies {Field and School Work). — 

 There are several species of small flies, the larvae of 

 which live in decaying fruit ; and as these insects 

 are often abundant about pomace in cider-mills and 

 wineries, they have been termed pomace-flies. 



Usually the larvae of these flies can be found in 

 decaying fruit in any orchard during the autumn. 

 And as they develop very rapidly, they are excellent 

 subjects for study. In the case of one species which 

 I studied, the complete life cycle occupied only from 

 eleven to seventeen days. 



1. Place in a breeding cage some decaying apples 

 or other fruit in which there are maggots. There 

 should be a layer of earth in the breeding cage, as 

 some species of pomace-flies pass the pupa state in 

 the ground. 



2. Study the larva carefully and write a description 

 of it. Note especially the form of the first pair of 

 spiracles, which project near the head of the body, 

 as these present the most obvious specific distinctions 

 of the larvas of the different species. The form of 

 the caudal end of the body should be carefully studied 

 also. The skin of these larvas is so transparent that 

 the larger tracheae, or breathing tubes, can be easily 

 seen through it with a low power of the microscope. 

 Make a drawing representing an entire larva, and 

 more detailed drawings representing each end of the 

 body. 



