34 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



We have found two species of more typical Sphinx at Boulder; 5. driipi- 

 ferarum Abb.-Sm., collected by William Winner, and 5'. vancouverensis Hy. 

 Edw., collected by Rosamond Patton. 



A PARASITE OF DERMESTID BEETLES IN 

 ENTOMOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 



BY T. D. A. CCCKERELL, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER. 



In the fall of 1914 a specimen of Libellula pulchella was caught at Forest 

 Hills, Mass., and came into the possession of Mr. J. T. Scott, then a student 

 at the Bussey Institution. It was placed in a box which was taken to Lynch- 

 burg, Virginia, and there remained 2'/2 years. For at least a year past it was 

 known that the specimens were infested by anthrenids. About Sept. 5, 1918, 

 the box was received by Mr. Scott at Boulder, Colorado; and on Sept. 15 several 

 small hymenopterous insects were found alive in it. On investigation, Mr. 

 Scott found small, pure white cocoons on the Libellula, two upon the wings 

 and two inside the thorax. Anthrenid larvte were also found, showing evidence 

 of parasitism. There was one Anthrenid larva still alive. 



On examination, it was easily determined that the insects were Bethylids 

 of the genus LcbUus Ashmead. This genus is well known to be parasitic on 

 Dermestid larvae, and consists of the following species, as far as yet known : 



1. U. S. species. L. trogodematis Ashm., L. iricarinatus Ashm., L. rufipes 

 Ashm., L. nigripilostis Ashm., L. Jumipennis Brues. 



2. French species, L. bipart-itus Kieff., L. tibialis Kieff., L. perri'si Kieff. 



3. Italian species, L. fulvipes Kieff., L. anthrenivoriis Trani. 



Mr. Scott's insect, which undoubtedly attacked the anthrenids in X'irginia, 

 is easily separated from all those of America by the clouded wings and dark 

 legs with red anterior tibiae. It may be described as follows: 



Laelius utilis, n. sp. 



Female. — Length fully 3 mm., anterior wing 1,850 microns; black, highly 

 polished, the surface of head and thorax microscopically tessellate, the front 

 with very sparse but large piliferous punctures; wings clouded beyond the 

 middle; nervures dilute fuscous; legs superficially appearing black with bright 

 ferruginous anterior tibiae, but the other tibiae and all the tarsi are obscure 

 dark reddish; the legs have sparse, long, black bristles, the tarsi with short, 

 black hair. The abruptly truncate metathorax has the dorsal surface very 

 beautifully ornamented, with fine longitudinal plicae, three in the median region, 

 and one near each side; there are also shorter plicct between these, arising from 

 the base; between the median and subdorsal plicae the surface is minutely 

 cancellate, and beyond the subdorsal pliccp it is very finely transversely striate; 

 the plicae, except the median one, border a series of large, shallow pits. The 

 apical truncation of rrietathorax is minutely cancellate, with a delicate median 

 raised line. Mandibles, base of antennae and trochanters reddish, but palpi 

 dark. Third and fourth abdominal segments minutely trans\'erscly lineolate 

 on basal half. 



The type will be placed in U. S. National Aiuseum. » 



February, 1920 



