DEVELOPMENT OF COPIDOSOMA GELECHI/E. 335 



Fly." Howard ('85) later named this species Copidosoma 

 gdechicE. 



Upon examining the various goldenrods about Woods Hole, 

 Mass., for galls of Gnorimo schema, it was found that Solidago 

 sempervirens furnished the best opportunity for obtaining 

 material. However, the common gall maker of this solidago 

 proved not to be Gnorimoschema gallcesolidaginis Riley, but a 

 closely related species, G. salinaris Busck. The parasites in- 

 festing these two moths are varieties of the same species, Copi- 

 dosoma gelechics. 



The selection of this species has not proved altogether satis- 

 factory, because the gall-making habit of the host complicates 

 the life history and renders the collecting of material for early 

 stages of the parasite somewhat more difficult than from a host 

 which feeds openly. Furthermore, the moth, and likewise the 

 parasite, has but one generation a year. In addition to these 

 objections, there is the further one that the egg of Copidosoma 

 gives rise to a relatively large number of individuals (about 191 

 on the average). In attempting to obtain material for the studies 

 which the writer has in mind, it seems best to seek to find a 

 host which is an open or semi-open feeder, which has two or more 

 generations a year, and which harbors a parasitic egg giving rise 

 to but few individuals. During the past summer at least two 

 species have been found which in the main seem to fulfill these 

 conditions. It therefore seems best to publish the main facts 

 concerning the development of Copidosoma before giving it up 

 for more favorable material. 



There is one feature in the development of Copidosoma which 

 makes further study desirable. We refer to the abortive em- 

 bryos (presently to be described), which at first were thought 

 to be comparable to the so-called asexual larvse of Litomastix 

 truncatdlus. It will be recalled that Silvestri ('06) described in 

 this species the development of both sexual and asexual larvae 

 from a single egg. In one instance he secured from a caterpillar 

 of Plusia gamma 1,700 sexual and 220 asexual larvae of Litomastix. 

 He believes that the asexual larvae play the role of raspers for 

 the normal larvae, tearing the tissues of the host so that the sexual 

 larvae may the more easily secure the necessary food. It may 



