106 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



DEPARTMENT OF EGONOMIG ENTOMOLOGY. 



Edited by Prof. JOHN B, SMITH, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



Papers for this department are solicited. They should be sent to the editor, Prof. John 

 B. Smith, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



The Flour Moth in Mexico. Since the discovery of the flour moth, 

 Ephestia kuehniella Zell., in bran, meal and cakes in the Mexican exhibit 

 at the World's Fair (" Insect Life," vol. vi, p. 221), we have suspected its 

 presence in Mexico, but have had no positive information regarding it. I 

 am now (March 5, 1896) in receipt of a package of matted flour from a 

 flouririg-mill in Saltillo, Mexico, which is literally alive with larvae and 

 pupae of the flour moth. The insect has been established in the mill for 

 over a year, and is an alarming pest. The climate is so even there is 

 little or no difference in the attack at any time of the year. It infests all 

 parts of the mill, but is most troublesome in spouts, elevator legs, puri- 

 fiers and hoppers. VV. G. JOHNSON, Urbana, 111. 



The Hymenopterous Parasite of the Angoumois Grain Moth. In the year 

 1883, Mr. F. M. Webster described a parasite of the Angoumois grain 

 moth (Sitotroga (Gelechia) cerealella Ol.), giving it the name Pteromalus 

 gelechice (i2th Rept. St. Ent. 111. p. 151). The subfamily to which this 

 species belongs, Pteromalina?, contains many minute forms of very similar 

 appearance and difficult to separate. Recently parasites were reared at 

 the Department of Agriculture from moth-infested corn from Sharpsburg, 

 Texas, which have been compared by Mr. Ashmead with a series in the 

 National Museum from Europe identified as Dibrachys boucheanus Ratz^ 

 and pronounced by him to be indistinguishable from that species. Further 

 comparison with one of Mr. Webster's types, kindly loaned by Prof. 

 Forbes, and with much other material bred from this moth, shows all of 

 these parasites to belong to one and apparently the same species. 



Mr. Ashmead expects soon to give the Pteromalinae the careful study- 

 that they deserve, and it is to be hoped that he will find characters for the 

 separation of the grain moth species from the European boucheanus since 

 the former is undoubtedly a primary parasite of Sitotroga and has always 

 been considered a very useful auxiliary in the reduction of its grain-de- 

 stroying host, while the latter, according to Brischke, is invariably hyper- 

 parasitic, preying upon the true parasites of such pernicious species as the 

 gypsy moth. Indeed, it was originally described from material bred from 

 a Microgaster living upon that moth, and, if it has continued as active, as 

 noted by its describer, must be placed in the category of injurious species. 

 Ratzeburg observed (Ichn. Forstins, 1844, vol. i, p. 196) that this was the 

 most abundant of all the parasites of the gypsy moth, and that from the 

 clusters of Microgaster cocoons only about half of the Microgaslcrz 

 issued. 



