192 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [October^ 



OVIPOSITION OF ANTHOPHILAX ATTENUATUS. 



By D. B. YOUNGS, Newport, N. Y. 



About a year ago having some correspondence with Mr. Chas. 

 Liebeck, the fact was mentioned that Anthophilax attenuaius was 

 found ovipositing in the galleries of Ptilinus ruficornis. Mr. 

 Liebeck then informed me that it was strange for a Longicorn 

 to be found ovipositing in another beetle's galleries. 



This year having corroborated the fact by further observation 

 I now communicate it to the NEWS, hoping it may be of some 

 interest to its readers. The first beetle was taken May 8, 1895, 

 and several more on different dates until the 28th. All of the 

 beetles were females, not a male being seen. In 1896 the first 

 beetle was noticed on the gth of May; their appearance may be 

 said to date from May 8th to the 2oth; those found later were 

 probably strays. The stub which seemed to be a favorite was a 

 maple nearly devoid of bark, but not much decayed. Two 

 specimens were taken ovipositing in beech. The beech was cut 

 in the Fall of 1894 and a piece split from the side of the stump. 

 Ptilinus ruficornis tunneled it in the Spring of 1895, and Antho- 

 philax attenuatus oviposited in their galleries the succeeding 

 Spring. 



The method of oviposition as observed upon the maple, which 

 had many galleries and crevices, was as follows: The beetle 

 crawled along with an odd jerky motion and carefully examined 

 every hole and crevice which it crossed. The crevices were 

 abandoned almost immediately; the galleries were examined with 

 more care and evidently those selected were a year old ; the 

 beetles invariably oviposited with the head turned nearly or 

 wholly down. One of the galleries removed after the beetle had 

 oviposited and flown contained sixteen eggs. Nothing had been 

 placed in the gallery to prevent parasites from entering. The 

 eggs were placed one-half inch from the outside in three lots of 

 four each, with their ends slightly tapering, just filling the diam- 

 eter of the gallery. The eggs were cylindrical, rounded at both 

 ends, polished, and waxy white; they were gummed together 

 with a yellowish secretion, and were one and a half to nearly 

 two mm. in length. 



It may be worthy of note that Tcretrius americanus was taken 

 from the same stub and put in an appearance within a few days 

 after the appearance of A. attenuatus. Whether any significance 

 attaches to this fact or not I am unable to say. 



