io7 
The Narcissus Fly. 
Gall Mite, and can easily be seen with a hand lens. Specimens were 
sent to Dr. Nalepa, who informs me it is a new species which he is 
going to describe. f 
Information was sent to Mr. Gleed to destroy the plants that were 
attacked and all cuttings taken from them, and to burn the earth in 
which they were growing. 
If allowed to spread, this mite would probably form a serious 
source of loss to nurserymen. 
The Narcissus Fly. 
(. Mcrodon equcstris , Fabr.) 
A correspondent, Mr. T. J. Leney, sent the larvse of the Nar- 
cissus Fly, from Chertsey, with the following note : “ They play 
havoc with the narcissus bulbs and are evidently the maggot of some 
fly. They commence boring from the base of the bulb upwards, 
eating out the centre. I cannot quite understand their beginning 
operations at the base of the bulb ; one would have thought the eggs 
would be deposited at the top and the maggots work down the bulb, 
whereas the point of entrance is in nearly all cases as shown by the 
dot in the drawing.” 
The larvse were of the dipterous genus Mcrodon, several of which 
are known to feed upon the bulbs of the narcissus, etc., in Europe. 
One species only is so far recorded from Great Britain, namely, 
Mcrodon equcstris, Fabr., according to Mr. Verrall, but Walker in his 
work on “ British Diptera ” also gives Mcrodon clcivipcs, Meigen, 
probably in error. There are three varieties of Mcrodon equcstris, viz., 
var. narcissi, F., var. validus, Meig., and var. transver satis, Meig. 
These three were at one time treated as distinct species. Which 
variety the larvse sent belong to it is not possible yet to say. 
This Narcissus Fly has frequently attacked the bulbs in Corn- 
wall, and I have had it reported to me from Ham, in Surrey. 
The fly appears in May, and may be seen flying over daffodils and 
other similar plants. The fly resembles to some extent a bee in 
form ; it is three-fourths of an inch long ; the body is deep bluish- 
black with transverse bands of golden yellow ; the wings grey, 
fringed with dull yellow ; legs black, short and stout. 
The female probably lays her eggs near or upon the bulb. The 
larvse, however, always seem to enter from the lower part of the 
f This is described under the name Eriophyes violae, n. sp. (Sitzung der 
mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Classe vom 11. Dec. 1902, Kaisedliche 
Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien). 
