38 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Italy about the middle of the century and which there is a com 

 mon parasite of Ceroplastes rusci. He announced that with 

 the help of Professor Berlese, of Portici, he expected to be able 

 to introduce this insect into Florida in the hope that it will prey 

 upon species of Ceroplastes which exist there.* 



Mr. Ashmead spoke of the tropical appearance of this insect 

 and gave his opinion as to its systematic position. He said that 

 it would be a valuable importation into Florida for the reason 

 that the Ceroplastes scales, while ordinarily affecting plants of 

 little value, were occasionally found upon the orange and orna 

 mental box. 



Some discussion followed as to the work of Motschulsky, the 

 author of the genus, and particularly of his descriptions of 

 American insects. 



Mr. Schwarz read the following paper : 



TERMITID^E OBSERVED IN SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS IN 1895. 

 By E. A. SCHWARZ. 



1. Termes ftavipes Kollar. Common throughout southwest 

 ern Texas and very destructive to wood-work in houses. An 

 immense swarm of winged individuals issued from several houses 

 at San Diego on October 25. I was informed that in early 

 spring another flight takes place in buildings infested by termites. 

 What appears to be the same species is also common in sticks 

 and branches lying on the ground in the chaparral, but I failed to 

 get the winged form from such situations. 



2. Termes lucifugus Rossi. A large swarm of winged indi 

 viduals attended by numerous soldiers was observed by me to 

 issue from several holes on a sidewalk in the outskirts of Beeville 

 on November i. The day was very cold and no flight took 

 place. Upon digging in the ground a few workers were also 

 obtained from the same colony. 



I ascertained that the winged form from Texas agreed per 

 fectly with Hagen's description of the European T. lucifugus, 

 but would not have dared to publish this determination upon this 

 evidence alone. Mr. D. W. Coquillett, however, informs me 

 that Dr. Hagen gave him this name for the common South Cali- 

 fornian Termes, and I also learn that Dr. Hagen determined so a 

 species from Central America for Mr. Dudley. 



Should the identity of our species with T. lucifugus be estab- 



* Rivista dalla Patologia Vegetale, v, No. i, 1896. 



