Frankie Willard

Psyche : A Journal of Entomology

English

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166 Psyche [October
I believe, have been just as simple and useful had it been divided
into the six genera formerly recognized. The preparation of a,
key for the large genus Liburnia was no small task and if Mr.
Crawford has done this successfully it is something for which we
will all feel grateful.
I must call attention to a statement.- made by Kirkaldy some,
years ago and now repeated by Crawford: that Stal used Embolo-
phora monoceros as the type of his new genus Liburnia. There,
is absolutely not one iota of foundation for this statement except
the fact that Stal placed it as the first species of his new genus.
As a matter of fact monoceros is the type ot the entirely distinct.
genus, Embolophora, and can never be used as the type of Liburnia
Stal. I have already shown (Bull. Bur. Soc. Nat Sci. X, p. 50,
191) that Liburnia Stal was simply a new name for Delphax Auct.
(not of Fabr.) of which pellucida Fabr. should be the type. Del-
phax striata Fabr. is the type of Delphax Latr. but Stal does not
quote Delphax Latr. but Delphax Auct. and as striata seems to be
an unrecognized species it is probably better to use pellucida, which
is a well known form.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF PLATYPEZA FOUND AT STAN-
FORD UNIVERSITY.
BY lRANKIE WILLARD,
Stantord University.
While making a study of the insect larvae living in mushrooms,
I found an old cluster of Agaricus californicus which was infested
with hundreds of small oblong larwe that were feeding on the soft
fleshy portions of the plant at the base of the gills. Many other
specimens were taken during the months of April and May, the
dark gills of the mushrooms showing that the material was rather
old. When these vere placed in jars containing damp soil the
larvee fed for several days in the mushrooms. Some then bored
into the soil to pupate, others pupated on the surface under the
fungus or in exposed places. The length of the larval period was
not determined. Most of the insects remained in the pupa] stage
from seven to nine days, but some did not issue until the following
191] Willard--Species of Platypea 167
September, or about the time of the early rains. These larwe,
which proved to be the immature stages of an undescribed species
of Platypezide, are cylindrical, soft, and cream colored. The
body tapers anteriorly and the first segment is rounded. The
,surface of the body is rough, covered with many small spines.
Each segment, except the first, second and last, is provided with
two large, lateral, and two smaller, dorsal, segmented, spiniferous
appendages. The second segment has only dorsal set,e; the last
segment has two pairs of lateral set and one posterior pair. The
anterior margins of the first, third and twelve segments are each
provided with a pair of short tube-like processes. The ventral
.side of segments five to eleven have a pair of papilla near each
lateral margin. The slit-like anal opening is on the ventral side
of the twelfth segment.
The pupa is dark brown in color; oval, flat, hard and wrinkled.
The appendages are the same as in the larva.
Some of the adult flies were sent to Professor J. M. Aldrich,
who kindly examined them and said they belonged to an unde-
scribed species, lie sent several specimens of still another
undescribed Platypeza, which he reared from the shelf-fungus,
Polyporus, while at Stanford in 1906. The descriptions of the
two species follow.
platypeza agarici sp. nov.
Male: Velvety-black. Head black;, antennae black; face grayish in middle;
cheeks black, with black hairs. Eyes contiguous, divided, upper half reddish-
brown, with large ommatidia, lower half black, with small ommatidia. Thorax
black with black hairs. Abdomen velvety black; last segment and a narrow mar-
gin on the in(isures, grayish. Sides and back with black hair. Legs black; tarsus
brown with fuseous pile; hind tarsal joints flattened; the third joint is the longest
and broadest; halteres black. Wings hyaline; subeostal cell of a yellowish tinge;
veins brown; anterior branch of th vein well areuated; the posterior branch
reaches to the border of the wing; nd posterior cell short; posterior cross vein
removed from border of win,g on 5th vein by twice its own length. An interest-
ing variation occurs in the cross vein between the first and second basal cell.
Always faint, it is entirely lacking in some specimens.
Female: Eyes separated and not divided. Abdomen velvety black. Length,
-
mm.
PlaCypeza polypori sp. nov.
Male: Velvety black. Head black; face black, grayish toward ventral margin;
cheeks black with black pile; antennae black; eyes contiguous, divided; the upper
half reddish with large ommatidia; the lower half dark brown with small ommatidia.
168 Psyche [October
Thorax black with black hairs. Abdomen velvety black; last segment and in-
cisures dark gray; sides and back covered with fine, soft, black hairs. Legs fuscous
or blackish; hind tarsal joints flattened, the basal segment broadest, the third seg-
ment longest; halteres fuscous; knobs black. Wings hyaline, subcostal cell with
a very faint yellowish tinge; veins brown; anterior branch of 4th vein rises at al-
most a right angle from the fourth vein; posterior branch.does not reach the margin
of the wing; second posterior cell very short. The distance from the posterior
cross vein to the tip of the 5th vein is about one-third the length of the posterior
cross vein.
Fetnale: Eyes not contiguous or divided. ’ace grayish. The first, third, fourth,
and fifth segments of abdomen grayish.
These studies were made in the Entomological Laboratories at
Stanford University where the types of the new species are de-
posited.
ig. 1. Pltgfez riei sp. nov. 1, dorsal view of larva; , ventral view of
larva; , dorsal view of pupa; , ventral view of pupa; , one of the spines of larva;
6, wing; 7, hin,d leg, showing flattened tarsus.
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Two New Species of Platypeza Found at Stanford University

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Two New Species of Platypeza Found at Stanford University

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