138 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



the bees, however, two specimens of a blister-beetle, Nemogna- 

 tha nigripennis LeConte came out. Mr. Schwarz said that as 

 far as known the species of Meloidse are either parasites of bees 

 or grasshoppers. As a general rule those species which appear 

 in the spring are bee parasites, while those which appear in the 

 fall are parasites of grasshoppers. He expressed surprise that 

 the bee could work in such a sticky substance as pine resin with 

 out disastrous consequences. Mr. Benton said that he' thought 

 it was not more difficult for this bee to work in the resin than 

 for honey bees to handle the sticky propolis. 

 Mr. Marlatt read the following paper : 



A CHALCIDID PARASITE OF THE ASIATIC LADY-BIRD. 

 By C. L. MARLATT. 



A very important hymenopterous parasite must be added to 

 the list of natural enemies of the Asiatic lady-bird ( Chilocorus 

 similis). To our very great disappointment and astonishment 

 early in September it was found that the pupae of the last brood 

 were much parasitized, causing a loss of more than ten per cent, 

 of this brood. As many as could be of these parasitized pupae 

 have been collected, and from them has been reared a little 

 Chalcidid fly, Syntomosphyrum esurus Riley, from five to seven 

 parasites coming from each pupa. This insect belongs with a 

 group of secondary parasites, but no trace of the primary parasite 

 could I e found in any of the pupae examined, although later 

 breeding may develop the primary parasite during the winter or 

 next spring. The larvae were found free in the abdominal cavity 

 of the Chilocorus pupa and ultimately all of the substance of the 

 pupa disappears. In one or two cases where parasitism had only 

 just begun to make itself evident, half-grown larvae were found. 

 These were filled with the yellow fluid contents of the Coccinellid 

 and were orange yellow in color. The older larvae in the nearly 

 empty shells of the pupae were whitish in color. That all of 

 these larvae are of the parasite mentioned above cannot be defi 

 nitely said. Doctor Howard, who examined the material with 

 the writer, is of the belief that the primary parasite will prove to 

 be Homalotylus obscurus how., the common coccinellid parasite 

 of this country. If the parasite bred proves to be a true second 

 ary parasite, as believed, its presence in such numbers in the 

 pupae of Chilocorus is a matter for gratification. If, on the con 

 trary, it be a primary parasite, it seriously threatens the success of 

 the imported Chilocorus and all allied lady-birds. The status of 

 this parasite is given in the appended note by Dr. L. O. Howard. 



"All of the Tetrastichinae known and whose exact host rela- 



