1981] 
Kearns & Yamamoto — Gargaphia 
229 
DISCUSSION 
Gargaphia solani and some of the membracids (Wood 1974, 
1976b) are unusual in having maternal care extend from the time of 
oviposition through the maturation period of the nymphs. This long 
brooding period appears to be an adaptation to environments in 
which predation is an important factor. The host plants of G. solani 
grow close to the ground, and ants appear to be the most numerous 
predators. Maternal care in this tingid may have evolved as a 
response to ants or to low-flying predators or to both. Sheeley and 
Yonke (1977) were unable to find predators for some of the 7 species 
of tingids studied, perhaps because the host plants of 6 species are 
trees rather than small annuals. Gargaphia tiliae, having maternal 
care, might be expected to live close to the ground, but it is a tree- 
dwelling species. Sheeley and Yonke found no natural enemies of 
this insect, but the predators could have included tiny anthocorid 
nymphs which escaped detection. 
It seems worthwhile to compare G. solani with some of the 
membracid species since there are striking similarities, including 
wing fanning by the attendant female and the release of an alarm 
pheromone when the body wall is ruptured. If G. solani and the 
membracids represent examples of parallel evolution, they may be 
responding to similar environmental stresses. 
Literature Cited 
Beamer, R. H. 
1930. Maternal instinct in a Membracid ( Platycotis vittata) (Homopt.) Ento- 
mol. News 41(10): 330-331. 
Eisenhart, C. 
1952. Tables of the Binomial Probability Distribution. National Bureau of 
Standards Applied Mathematics Series 6. U. S. Govt. Printing Office, 
Washington. 
Fink, D. E. 
1915. The eggplant lace-bug. Bull., U. S. Dept. Agricult. 239: 1-7. 
Hinton, H. E. 
1976. Maternal care in the Membracidae. Proc. Roy. Entomol. Soc. London 
(C). 41: 3-4. 
1977. Subsocial behavior and biology of some Mexican membracid bugs. 
Ecological Entomology 2: 61-79. 
Kearns, R. S. 
1980. Maternal behavior in the eggplant lace bug Gargaphia solani Heide- 
mann (Tingidae: Heteroptera). M.S. thesis, North Carolina State Uni- 
versity, Raleigh. 
