OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XV, 1913 l-~>7 



Full growth was reached on September 10, thirty-two days 

 after the specimen was found and by the morning of the llth it 

 had spun its cocoon. This was nearly black, about one-half inch 

 long and almost cylindrical with rounded ends. In order to hasten 

 the maturity of the parasite it was kept indoors during the winter, 

 but the adult not appearing the cocoon was opened on March 10, 

 and the parasite was found to have matured and died. That death 

 had been quite recent was indicated by the fact that the parasite 

 was not entirely dried. It is a female Paniscus geminatus. 



POLYSPHINCTA TEXANA O. 



On April 8, 1913,1 found an adult female spider (Steatoda bore- 

 alis ) bearing an external parasite larva. The parasite was about 

 three-sixteenths of an inch long and was curled transversely about 

 the front end of the abdomen of the spider. The large size of the 

 parasite together with the early date probably indicates that it had 

 hibernated on or in its host. By the next day within a period of 

 about seventeen hours the parasite had increased to nearly double 

 its length when found and the contents of the abdomen of the 

 spider had been entirety consumed. The larva was placed in a cell 

 between two slips of transparent celluloid to make further obser- 

 vations on the development possible. On April 12 the parasite 

 had started its cocoon but never finished it and died without 

 pupating. 



On April 10 another spicier of the same species was found bear- 

 ing a similar parasite larva. In this case the larva was not more 

 than one-eighth of an inch long. By April 14 this parasite had 

 consumed the liquid contents of the host and by April 16 had con- 

 structed its cocoon. This was slightly less than one-half inch long 

 by about one-third as wide and somewhat more tapering toward 

 the caudal end. It was loosely woven of pale yellowish, very 

 curly silk. On April 25 the parasite pupated and on May 9 it 

 transformed to the adult condition. This gives a period from the 

 time of leaving the host to pupation of eleven days and a pupal 

 period of fourteen days. 



When, on May 12, the adult parasite had not left its cocoon 

 and was inactive the cocoon was cut open and the dead parasite, 

 a deformed female Polysphincta, removed. 



SPH.EROPYX BICOLOR CreSSOll. 



Apparently nothing concerning the host relations of this species 

 has been published. Under my codling moth bands on apple and 

 pear trees I have frequently taken it in immature stages as a para- 

 site of Apntela darescens Guen. The parasite is gregarious, as 

 many as 30 having been reared from a single host. 



