378 Entomological Society, 



of that genus. The President, however, was unwilling to admit that 

 the case mentioned by Mr. Westwood was an instance of retarded 

 development, and contended that reproduction was capable of occur- 

 ring throughout all the orders of insects, as it was now proved to 

 be throughout the Crustacea, Arachnida and Myriapoda ; and Mr. 

 Desvignes mentioned the fact recorded by Reaumur, that the hairs 

 of caterpillars, when shaven off previously to moulting, were repro- 

 duced on the shedding of the skin. [See the account of Mr. New- 

 port's subsequent experiments on this subject given at the meeting 

 of the 7th October 1844.] 



A memoir was read "On the Economy of the genus Palmon, Dalm.'* 

 By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S. 



After alluding to the singular economy by which the female Ich- 

 neumonidcd are enabled to introduce their eggs into various substances, 

 within which are contained the insects upon which their larvae are 

 destined to feed, and giving an extract from an anonymous writer in 

 the Entomological Magazine respecting the production of specimens 

 of one of the Chalcididce from the egg-cases of the Mantidce, the 

 author states that the latter insect evidently belongs to the genus 

 Palmon of Dalman (Swed. Trans. 1825), founded upon a species 

 observed in gum copal, and that the Priomerus pachymerus of Walker 

 is another species of the genus ; and then illustrates the genus in 

 detail, and describes the following species, the majority of which 

 possess the same singular habits. 

 Sp. 1. Palmon beUator, Dalm. 

 Sp. 2. Palmon clavatellus, Dalm. 



Sp. 3. Palmon pachymerus {Priomerus pack.. Walker). 

 Sp. 4. Palmon religiosus, Westw. Niger, suhceneus ; thorace te- 

 nuissime punctato ; antennis nigricantibus, articulo basali luteo ; 

 abdomine piceo, subtils magis luteo, dorso ceneo tincto nitido ; pe-^ 

 dibus luteis, coxis posticis, dentibusque femorum posticorum nigris, 

 oviductu corporefere dimidio longiori ( ? ). Long. corp. lin. 1^. 

 — Hab. in ovis Mantidis religiosae. D. KoUar. Mus. Hope. 

 Sp. 5. Palmon insularis, Westw. Cupreo-nigricans,vixtenuissime 

 punctatus, collari magis cuprescenti ; antennis nigricantibus, bast 

 fuscis ; abdomine chalybceo-nitido, basi subluteo, oviductu vix cor^ 

 poris longitudine ; pedibus anticis albidis, femoribus in medio in- 

 fumatis, coxis et femoribus posticis cupreo-aneis, apice tarsis- 

 que albidis ( $ ). Long. corp. lin. 1^. — Hab. in ovis Mantidis ex 

 " He de France." D. V. Audouin. Mus. Westwood. 

 Sp. 6. Palmon fraternus, Westw. Cceruleo-viridis, tenuissime punc- 

 tatus ; antennis crassiusculis luteis, apice fuscescentibus ; abdo- 

 mine purpurea nitidissimo, subtils luteo, oviductu abbreviate -, pe- 

 dibus luteo-fulvis ; coxis et femoribus posticis ceneis vel chalybceis, 

 apice extremo luteis (c^ ?). Long. corp. lin. \\. — Hab. cum 

 prsecedente. Mus. Westw. 

 Sp. 7. Palmon obscurus, Westw. Niger, ceneo vix tinctus,fer'^lcevis, 

 opacus ; antennis nigris, basi articuli \mi luteo, articuloque api- 

 cali albido ; abdomine nigro, submetallico, nitido, oviductu corpore 

 fer^ dimidio longiori; pedibus 4 anticis piceo-luteis, posticis ni- 



