August, ’18] 
DRAKE: CORN INSECT, CORYTHUCHA 
385 
A NEW CORN INSECT FROM CALIFORNIA (HETEROPTERA) 
By Carl J. Drake, New York College of Forestry 
Several weeks ago I received a number of “lace-bugs” or Tingidse 
that had been collected upon corn or maize, Zea mays, in Grass Valley, 
California, by Professor Essig. A careful study of this material indi¬ 
cates the species to be an undescribed species belonging to the genus 
Corythucha. Corn is undoubtedly the food plant of this tingid as 
Professor Essig collected nymphs as well as adults on it and noted the 
injury to the leaves caused by the feeding of both nymphs and adults. 
Corythucha essigi sp. new. Hood moderately large, abruptly constricted just 
back of the middle, the length about three times its greatest height, the posterior 
portion low and highest at the constriction. Paranota moderately broad, reniform, 
the margins, except anterior ones, destitute of spines. Pronotum punctate; median 
carina rather low, ver} r slightly rounded at the middle, with a single row of large 
areolae, a little longer than the length of the base of the entire hood; lateral carinae 
widely separated from the hood, with four or five distinct areolae. Legs moderately 
slender. Rostral laminae with large cells, the rostrum extending between the in¬ 
termediate coxae. Elytra rather narrow, the outer margins slightly concave and un¬ 
armed or spineless; costal area triseriate or nearly triseriate, the areolae irregular in 
size. Wings extending slightly beyond the apex of the abdomen. Claspers strongly 
curved in the male. Length, 2.8 mm.; width, 1.5 mm. 
Color: General color whitish, with a few fuscous markings on the nervures. Ner- 
vures of the hood, paranota, and carinae whitish, except a few nervelets on the hood 
and paranota fuscous; areolae hyaline. Elytra whitish, with a transverse band near 
the base (areolae very slightly dusky) and a more or less oblique band (areolae slightly 
dusky or hyaline) near the apex fuscous; areolae hyaline. Legs yellowish white, the 
tips of tarsi dark brown. Body beneath black. 
Several specimens, taken in Crass Valley, California, September 7, 
1917. This seems to be the first record of a species of Tingidse that 
infests corn. Corythucha distincta O. & D., has been taken in Montana 
(Cooley) upon corn, lettuce, parsnip, beans, lupine, turnip, squash 
and Balsamorrhiza and in Utah (Larson) upon Carduus lanceolatus. 
Distincta is a very variable species in color, but it is readily separated 
from essigi by its much higher hood, larger size, etc. Essigi is prob¬ 
ably most closely allied to ohliqua 0. &. D. from which it can be 
readily distinguished by the color pattern, the shape of the hood and 
median carina. Ohliqua feeds upon Ceanothus and is a very common 
form along the Pacific slope. 
Type in my collection; paratypes in collections of Professor Essig 
and the author. 
