Vol. XXV] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 39 



Parasites of the San Jose Scale (Hym.). 



In connection with the editorial in the NEWS for November, 1913, it 

 may be of interest to state that the parasite reported as doing such 

 effective work against the San Jose Scale in Pennsylvania was discov- 

 ered at Amherst, Mass., in the fall of 1912 in great abundance. It was 

 carefully studied, and as it could not be identified, specimens were 

 sent to Dr. L. O. Howard, who declared it to be a new species of 

 Prospaltella. 



A description of the insect was published under the name of Pros- 

 paltella perniciosi in the Annals of the Entomological Society of Amer- 

 ica, Vol. VI, No. I, by Mr. D. G. Tower, and studies were continued 

 upon it in the summer of 1913. During the present fall, colonies of 

 this insect have been sent to Washington and Georgia, in the hope of 

 establishing it there, and shipments to other places will be made as 

 opportunity offers. From 75 to 85 per cent, of the scales appear to be 

 parasitized in nature, and as large a per cent, occurs on the small twigs 

 as on the larger ones. 



A shipment of the Pennsylvania parasite just received from Pro- 

 fessor Surface has made direct comparison of the two possible, and 

 there can be no doubt that they are the same species. In the Penn- 

 sylvania consignment Aphelinus fuscipennis and Prospaltella perniciosi 

 were found, the latter including perhaps three-fourths of the speci- 

 mens. A letter just received by Mr. Tower from Dr. Howard states: 

 "Professor Surface came to Washington a month or more ago with 

 a series of slides of material reared from San- Jose-scale-infested 

 twigs, and among these parasites I found Aphelinus fuscipennis How., 

 a Mymarid, * * * Anagrus spiritus Girault, Signophora nigrita 

 Ashm. and your Prospaltella perniciosi." From the evidence we have 

 it would seem probable that the Prospaltella is the one which is doing 

 most of the work. 



If claims of priority are in order, it would seem that the date of 

 publication of Mr. Tower's description (March, 1913) should be con- 

 sidered, while the files of the Bureau of Entomology at Washington 

 will provide evidence that the insect was discovered and studied sev- 

 eral months before that time. 



Careful examination of twigs from Pennsylvania and also from 

 Massachusetts indicates that despite a large amount of parasitism we 

 need hardly expect the scale to soon become an unimportant pest as 

 long as any such number as 10 per cent, are left -"for seed." H. T. 

 FERNALD, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. 



The species figured in all the newspapers and the one Professors 

 Surface and Grim had the controversy over is a Mymarid, described 

 under the name of Anagrus spiritus Girault, in E'NT. NEWS, XXII, 

 p. 209, 1911. Prof. Grim sent us the slide that Prof. Surface had and 

 it was sent to Mr. Malloch to compare with the type at Urbana, Il- 

 linois. Mr. Malloch reports them identical. H. S. 



