227 



HARPIPHORUS MACULATUS Norton. 



By W. Hague Hakrington, Ottawa, Canada. 



The spotted saw-fly, whose larvae feed upon the strawberry plant, is 

 widely distributed, and probably well known to all collectors of 

 Hymenoptera, as well as to growers of the delicious fruit which suffers 

 from its ravages. There are, however, one or two points in connection 

 with the species to which attention may be called. Last winter I dis- 

 cussed with Mr. Fletcher the fact that a large proportion of the speci- 

 mens, which apparently belong to this species, would by the venation of 

 the wings be placed in the genus Monostegia, instead of in Harpiphorus, 

 and that they agreed closely with the description of M. obscurata Cresson. 



During the past summer I collected as many specimens of this saw- 

 fly as was possible, in order to further study the species, and to see if 

 there existed sufficient reasons for separating these saw-flies into two 

 species, or on the other hand for including with R. maculatus a few 

 specimens which I had previously considered to represent M. ignota 

 ISorton. 



The question has now been made additionally interesting to me by 

 the publication in the November, 1889, number of Insect Life (pp. 137- 

 140) of Mr. F. W. Malley's observations on M. ignota as a strawberry pest. 

 The author, after mentioning the similar maculation of the abdomen, 

 states that — 



The most certain method of distinguishing the species is to note the number of 

 submarginal cells in the forewings, M. ignota having four, and H. maculatus only 

 three. 



I found that saw-flies were apparently very scarce last season, but 

 the Strawberry Saw-fly was one of the few species that were moderately 

 abundant. My captures were as follows : 



Specimens having three submarginal 



cells : 



Specimens having four submarginal 

 cells : 



Date. 



Males. Females. 



May 9 



1 



1 

 1 



10 



12 



1 

 1 

 3 



13 





24 



3 

 1 

 3 

 1 



27 



June 2 





26 





Total 





6 



10 



Date. Males. 



Females. 



May 5 



9 



1 

 1 





9 



2 

 7 

 3 



1 



11 



12 



24 



1 

 1 



June 2 . 



Total 





4 



22 



This shows the two forms to occur during the same period and in com- 

 paratively the same abundance, and the habits of the adults were ap- 

 parently in all respects similar. With those previously in my collection 

 I have now before me 80 specimens, which appear to belong undoubt- 



