106 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ^ 



The colour of the pupae varies from tan colour to a warm light brown- 

 ish-yellow, sprinkled with numerous blackish atomsj wing-covers, thorax 

 and limbs of slightly paler colour than abdomen. Stigmata brown, also the 

 tubercles of the larva indicated by larger brown dots. An often obscured 

 or obsolete blackish stripe at the middle of abdomen above and below. 



TORYMUS THOMSONI, N. SP. 



BY REV. THOMAS W. FYLES, LEVIS, QUEBEC. 



In the first week of July my attention was drawn by my friend, Mr. 

 Joshua Thomson, of Levis, to a strange sight. The plum trees in his 

 grounds were infested with myriads of a new species of Torymus, as many 

 as thirty of the insects appearing on one plum. I never witnessed any- 

 thing in rny entomological pursuits more remarkable. The brilliant little 

 creatures could be seen in the act of depositing their eggs ; their 

 ovipositors thrust deep into the fruit. Some of the plums attacked 

 showed signs of a previous attack of the Curculio, but most of them did 

 not. Whether the larvae of the species feed on the flesh and juices of the 

 plum or attack the grubs of the Curculio, I cannot say, for I was unable 

 to follow the life-history of the species. The following is a description 

 of the fly : 



Body a brilliant metallic green. Thorax punctate ; prothorax 

 rounded; metathorax large and elevated; scutellum arched. Trochanters 

 and femora of the same colour as the body, the rest of the legs cerate ; 

 tibiae spurred ; tarsi five-jointed, the two last joints somewhat darkened. 

 The antennae brown, clavate ; scape rather long; club three-jointed. 

 Eyes oval, large and full, of a warm purple, with a pale rim, and set with 

 short hairs ; ocelli purple. Wings with short cilije, iridescent ; vein of 

 fore-wing widened where it bends to the costa and for the rest of its 

 length, bristly ; the stigmal vein knobbed. Plates above and below the 

 insertion of the wings purple. Ovipositor dark brown, stout, as long as 

 the body. Total length of the insect, 3 mm. 



Mr.- Ashmead says that the species is '•' quite different from T. 

 Sackenii^ or anything else in our collection." 



I have sent types of the species to the U. S. National Museum. I 

 may add that all the fruit attacked by the insect fell to the ground. I 

 have named the species after Mr. Thomson, who drew my attention to it. 



