OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XV, 1913 131 



than the Tachinid mentioned by Mr. Walton, stating that'GVze/- 

 onus caused a total mortality and emerged from the third or fourth 

 instar of Laphygma larvae. 



Mr. Busck asked Mr. Walton if he had been able to find any 



remains of the Tachinid larvae in the Laphygma larvae on which 



more than one egg was laid, and whether it had been ascertained 



if the Tachinid parasite was crowded out in the larval or egg stage. 



Mr. Walton said that he had no evidence. 



The third paper, "The Ovipositor of Parandra brunnea Fabr. " 

 was read by Mr Snyder. 



THE OVIPOSITOR OF PARANDRA BRUNNEA FAB. 



BY T. E. SXYDER, Bureau of Entomology. 



The family Spondylidae is of considerable interest in that there 

 is quite a little doubt as to its proper position in the classification of 

 Coleoptera. Indeed, some authors consider the genera Parandra 

 Lat., Spondylis Fab. and Scaphinus Lee., which LeConte and Horn 1 

 have placed in a separate family, either as belonging to the family 

 Cerambyciclse or as aberrant Cerambycidae. LeConte and Horn 

 have divided the family Spondylidae into the subfamilies Paran- 

 drinse and Spondylinae the former embracing the genus Parandra 

 Lat., the latter the genera Spondylis Fab. and Scaphinus Lee. 

 As LeConte states, 2 this family "might be regarded as representa- 

 tive of a family nearly extinguished in the lapse of time," for the 

 species are "very few and highly discrepant." 3 Species of the 

 genus Parandra Lat., like those of genera of the family Prionidae 

 have the prothorax margined and as there are many characters to 

 indicate relationship, it has been included in this family by some 

 authors as an aberrant form. The larva of Parandra brunnea Fab. 

 is typically Cerambycid-like in form and has characters which, 

 according to Mr. F. C'. Craighead of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 place it between the groups Prionini and Asemini. The larva of 

 Spondylis buprestoides Linn., 4 a European species, according to 

 Judeich and Nitsche, is similar to Cerambycid larvae in form. The 



1 Classification of the Coleoptera of North America, Washington, 1883, 

 p. 264. 



2 Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci., 2nd Ser., vol. n, 1851, p. 99. 



3 Sharpc, D. "Insects." Pt. II, pp 287-8, "The Cambridge Natural His- 

 tory," vol. vi, 1901. 



1 Lehrbuch der Mitteleuropaeischen Forstinsektenkunde, 2, i, 1889, pp. 

 570-71. 



