no ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, '09 



of the posterior edge, there are about six small bristles while on the 

 lateral surface are numerous small hairs. 



The ninth sternite is expanded at the tip, becoming somewhat fan 

 shaped, and at the anterior and posterior angles of this expansion there 

 are several minute hairs. 



The eighth sternite is heavy, club shaped and contains numerous stout 

 bristles at its tip and posterior upper margin. 



The plate of the penis is short and very broad and bluntly rounded 

 at the apex. Size 2.32 mm. Color pale brown. 



The Manner of Attachment of Parasitized Aphids. 



C. N. AlNSLIE, 



Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. 



During the progress of some recent inquiries by members 

 of the Bureau of Entomology into certain habits of parasitized 

 aphids and their guests, some exceedingly interesting facts 

 have been ascertained and are here put on record. 



It has long been known that an aphid, when parasitized, died 

 at a certain stage of the development of the parasitic larva, 

 and in spite of its death, managed somehow to retain its posi- 

 tion on the host plant until after the escape of the adult para- 

 site. It has been surmised that the death grasp of the aphid's 

 claws might account for the ability to hold itself to a leaf 

 while its unwelcome guest completed its life cycle. But an 

 aphid, dead for a week, has brittle legs, and would naturally 

 be an easy victim to wind and storm. Some have supposed 

 that the parasitic larva was able to force a glutinous fluid 

 through the pores of the ventral wall of the body of the aphid, 

 fastening it in this manner. 



Without definite hope of getting any light on this question, 

 a parasitized individual of the common Aphis brassicae was 

 studied. This aphid had been removed from the host plant 

 where it was standing on the leaf, dead, and was placed on 

 the stage of a microscope, back down. It was not yet spherical, 

 was turning brown, and the body was still flexible. It lay on 

 the glass slide unwatched for a few minutes, and it was then 

 noticed that the internal larva was protruding from a rent in 



the ventral region of the aphid and was apparently endeavor- 

 ing to escape. The larva was driven back and the aphid's 



