Sept. 21,1914 
New Sarcophagid Parasite of Grasshoppers 
441 
in the particular field studied had been cut and a new growth had come up that 
showed little damage. Plenty of dead grasshoppers still lay on the ground beneath 
the alfalfa, but I could find none that appeared to have recently died. The swarms 
of flies present in July had diminished somewhat, but many were still on hand. 
Counted 18 on one arm and shoulder during a brief halt in the field to-day, and noticed 
repeatedly the same instantaneous dash of these flies for the flying grasshoppers that 
had been observed before. 
It would seem that these parasitic flies have reduced very materially the number 
of the grasshoppers in this region, but further observation is needed to confirm this— 
another year. 
SPECIES OF SARCOPHAGA KNOWN TO PARASITIZE GRASSHOPPERS 
Several other less abundant species of Sarcophaga were observed in 
the act of larvipositing on grasshoppers and were subsequently reared 
from them during these investigations—notably, Sarcophaga cimbicis , 
sarraceniae , and 5 . hunteri , and in addition to these S. helicis Towns, was 
reared from the dead grasshoppers. 
While there are on record many observations strongly indicating that 
several species of Sarcophaga may be parasitic upon grasshoppers, unfor¬ 
tunately absolute proof as to whether they actually are parasitic upon liv¬ 
ing grasshoppers or are scavengers feeding upon the dead bodies of grass¬ 
hoppers has heretofore been wanting. Some of these records are incom¬ 
plete, through no fault of the observer. As an illustration, Dr. Aldrich 
stated to the author that he had reared a great number of sarcophagids 
from grasshoppers at Market Take, Idaho, during an outbreak in 1898, 
but unfortunately this material was destroyed by a fire in the University 
of Idaho, so that no determinations of the material coul.d be made. 
Dr. Aldrich has, however, very kindly examined material reared from 
grasshoppers at Wellington, Kans., and other places, with the result that 
the following species may now be considered parasitic, having been reared 
from grasshoppers: Sarcophaga hunteri from Payson, Utah, Wilson Creek, 
Wash., Hamburg, N. Y., and Wellington, Kans.; 5 . sarraceniae from 
Wellington, Kans., and Washington, D. C.; 5 . sinuata Meig., one speci¬ 
men from Columbia Cross Roads, Pa.; S. helicis from Wellington, Kans.; 
5 . cimbicis from Wellington, Kans.; and 5 . kellyi from Wellington, Kans., 
Washington, D. C., and points in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. It 
appears from the rearings that S. kellyi predominates, S. sarraceniae 
being second in abundance according to the material reared from grass¬ 
hoppers at Wellington, Kans., and the other species occurring rarely. 
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE TO THE HABITS OF SARCOPHAGIDS 
Prank Calvert (1882) 1 has reported Sarcophaga lineata Fall, as being 
destructive to locusts in the Dardanelles. 
C. V. Riley (1875) has recorded Sarcophaga carnaria L. as having been 
reared from Melanoplus spretus Uhl. Dr. Aldrich has shown that this 
species of Sarcophaga does not occur in North America and that refer¬ 
ences to it in literature must be referred to another species, or most 
probably to several native species. 
Riley also records rearing sarcophagids from the body of a mantid 
(Riley, 1875), several species of grasshoppers, and the cotton worm 
Alabama (Aletia) argillacea Hiibn. (Riley, 1885), but was of the opinion 
that these flies were scavengers. 
1 Bibliographic citations in parentheses refer to "Literature cited,” p. 445. 
