Oviposition behavior and fecundity in Chrysops cincticornis (Diptera: Tabanidae).

Females of Chrysops cincticornis Wlk., a pest of deer and a nuisance to man, were observed to lay eggs in clusters of 2-3 tiers on the leaves of rush (Juncus effusus) and sedge (Carex crinita) and on grasses at the edge of a pond in south-western Virginia. Egg-masses, which varied in size and shape, contained an average of 215.5 eggs each, and 31 gravid females caught while resting on vegetation contained an average of 403 oocytes at Stage V. Fecundity was significantly correlated with wing length, but in each of the 31 females there were 15-20 further ovarioles that had neither evidence of prior egg release nor development of primary follicles beyond Stage II. The multi-tiered egg-masses of Chrysops cincticornis are compared with those of some other species of Chrysops.