. Annual report. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects -- Ontario Periodicals. Fig. 3.—Abdomen of female ComiisUura shcv- ing piercing device. Tlie ventral part of seg- ments 2, 3 and 4 is flattened into a keel shaped structure. Note the clusters of spines on segments 2 and 3 that have been developed for holding the caterpillar when using the piercer. (Original.) Fig. 4.—Piercing device of female Compsilura. With this hollow, sickle-shaped instrument (1 mm. in length), the female fly punc- tures the skin of a cater- pillar. With her somewhat inconspicuous larvipositor she the
. Annual report. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects -- Ontario Periodicals. Fig. 3.—Abdomen of female ComiisUura shcv- ing piercing device. Tlie ventral part of seg- ments 2, 3 and 4 is flattened into a keel shaped structure. Note the clusters of spines on segments 2 and 3 that have been developed for holding the caterpillar when using the piercer. (Original.) Fig. 4.—Piercing device of female Compsilura. With this hollow, sickle-shaped instrument (1 mm. in length), the female fly punc- tures the skin of a cater- pillar. With her somewhat inconspicuous larvipositor she then places a maggot in the wound after which she flies to another victim. (Original.) to secure a large number of flies. Host caterpillars were collected in great quanti- ties in Massachusetts and a very large number of the flies were bred out for liberation, as the chart shows, in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. At the close of that year, 1916, it was felt that every opportunity had been given Compsilura to become a part of the Canadian fauna—in a period of five years about thirty thousand flies had been liberated—and the work of importation was consequently stopped. In 1917 a considerable amount of energy wes expended in the attempt to recover this elusive fly, but once again the results were discouraging. This year (1918) the recovery work was continued and the in sectary at Fredericton filled with thousands of tussock, datana, and red humped larvte, collected from' likely places in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. One day Mr. Keenan, who had charge of the tray work, brought in several dozen tachinid puparia bred from tussock larvffi collected at Fredericton. Among these were five little puparia that had the ear marks of Compsilura. With the same sort of tender solicitude that worker ants bestow upon larvas just stolen from a nearby colony, we watched over these five puparia. After a week'or two of anxious waiting five flies emerged; three were males and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectinsectp, bookyear1872
