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Indiana University Studies 



and with the author. Labelled La Grande, Oregon; April 12, 1920; 

 Kinsey collector. 



Few of the adults had emerged on April 12 at La Grande, 

 and on April 20 at Mountain Home Of 267 adults, 100 are 

 males. 



The collection at Mountain Home, Idaho, has peculiar in- 

 terest because that locality is in the heart of the Snake River 

 desert. This is an alkaline, dust desert, barren of most vege- 

 tation except sage brush, with an excessively low precipita- 

 tion ; because of its elevation of about 3500 feet, and its great, 

 level sweep, the region is exposed to severe storms and ex- 

 treme temperatures in winter, and to a surprisingly hot sum- 

 mer. Repeated searchings at several localities across this 

 desert failed to disclose any plant which might bear Cynipidse. 

 The oaks, mainly eastern species, planted as wind breaks in 

 the towns, failed to disclose galls. Some distance outside of 

 the town of Mountain Home, a few roses were growing beside 

 an irrigation ditch, and there were two galls of this species 

 and variety. I do not know whether the roses were native 

 species or escapes from cultivation ; they bore a native cynipid. 

 How far it may have been to the next colony of roses it would 

 be hard to determine; I am inclined to believe it might have 

 been a considerable distance. Insects and galls of this mate- 

 rial agree in minute detail with material from La Grande, 

 two hundred miles away, mostly across the desert. The des- 

 ert does possess a system of streams, but roses are few at 

 most along these streams, for I failed to find them at any of 

 a half dozen other points at which I tried to collect. 



I collected galls of this type at Brigham, Utah, but did not 

 obtain insects, so I cannot say whether yet another variety 

 will be found for this species. 



Diplolepis fusiformans (Ashmead) 



FEMALE. — Head and thorax black, abdomen in part rufous; meso- 

 notal grooves and lines shallow or obscure; mesopleuras smooth, crossed 

 by a wide, rugose band; abdomen entirely smooth; areolet small. 

 HEAD: Wider than the thorax, not enlarged behind the eyes; black, 

 the mouthparts colored lighter; finely coriaceous, more coarsely so on 

 the face; vertex naked, face hairy. Antenna; slender, black, the first 

 two segments colored lighter; with 14 segments, the second globose, the 

 third at least half again as long as the fourth, the last somewhat longer 

 than the preceding. THORAX: Wholly black; mesonotum irregularly, 

 rather finely coriaceous or shagreened, punctate, finely hairy; parap- 



