294 Philippine Journal of Science "i* 



mesothoracic segment of the larva, leaving a black scar near 

 its articulation with the prothorax. As many as eighteen 

 punctures made by the ovipositor of the parasite were counted 

 in the upper epidermis of a leaf over the fifth chamber of the 

 larva. The larvae of the parasite emerge from the pupa of 

 the beetle and pupate around it, after the maner of many spe- 

 cies of the Chalcididae. The adults emerge through numerous 

 circular punctures which they chew in the leaf epidermis. As 

 many as twelve exuviae of the parasite's pupae have been counted 

 around one beetle pupa carcass, and twelve adults were bred 

 from one mine. 



Adults of the parasite are tiny, metallic, purplish blue-green 

 insects, with brownish black eyes and snow-white, black-tipped 

 tarsi. The body is regularly ornamented with snow-white 

 hairs, which are also found on the antenna? and legs. The 

 length is about 1.25 millimeters. 



It is believed that the larvse are also attacked by a fungus 

 disease, the disintegrated remains of several larvse giving 

 evidence of some such attack. Numerous mites of an unde- 

 termined species inhabit the leaf chamber, feeding on the debris 

 left by the beetle larvae. 



INJURY BY THE BEETLE AND REMEDY FOR ITS ATTACK 



It is rare to find more than three larvse in a single leaf, but 

 each larva can do much toward injuring the leaves and thus 

 spoiling the general appearance of the fern. The most ex- 

 peditious method of combating the pest is to examine each 

 leaf for the incipient mine and its occupant and, when located, 

 simply to kill the larva by squeezing the spot between thumb 

 and finger. 



The seasonal prevalence of the beetle is not known ; but, from 

 the appearance of a large number of ferns examined at the 

 college, it is believed they do most of their damage in the period 

 from December to March. One of my students states that the 

 insect was abundant in July and August of 1917. 



In examining bird's-nest ferns for further specimens of the 

 blotch mine buprestid, Endelus bakeri, my attention was at- 

 tracted to a short-leaved plant, perhaps another variety of 

 Asplenium nidus, in which the mines were linear and very tor- 

 tuous, as shown in Plate I, fig. 4. Specimens of these leaves, 

 containing nearly full-grown larvse, were kept in cages, and to 

 my great delight two adults emerged which are entirely dif- 

 ferent from E. bakeri. The specimens, both of which are fe- 



