444 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. Ill, No. 8, 



OBSERVATIONS ON HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES 

 OF CERTAIN FULGORID^.* 



Otto H. S.wezey. 



In connection with life history studies of Fnlgoridae, the fol- 

 lowing species were reared from nj-mphs of Ormenis septentrion- 

 alis Spin., and L,iburnia lutulenta Van D. The first two as 

 primary parasites, and the third as a secondary parasite on 

 Ormenis septentrionalis ; the fourth and fifth as primary parasites 

 on Liburnia lutulenta. 



For the accurate identification of the first three species, I am 

 indebted to Dr. William H. Ashmead, Assistant Curator, 

 Department of Insects, U. S. National Museum, Washington, 

 D. C. The third species mentioned, proved to be a new species, 

 and was given the name below. 



I. Dryinus ormenidis Ashm. 

 Entomological News, XIV, p. 192, 1903. 



In August, 1902, while collecting the larvae and nvmphs of 

 Ormenis septentrionalis Spin. (Ohio Naturalist, Jan. 1903, 

 p. 355.) some specimens were found to be infested with parasitic 

 larvae, which on being reared, proved to be Dryinus ormenidis 

 Ashm. 



The larva lives in a " felt-like sack protruding from a spiracle' ' 

 (Ashmead) at the base of the abdomen of its host, and as the 

 latter matures, the parasite is partially covered by the wing pads 

 (Plate 20, Fig. i). The full grown larva is 4-5 mm. in length, 

 is footless, and has rudimentary mandibulate mouth parts (Plate 

 20, Fig. 4. ). It finally causes the death of the host ; then it 

 escapes from its sack, by the latter splitting very neatly in half, 

 and it forms a cocoon beneath the remains of the host, on the 

 surface of the leaf upon which the host has been feeding (Plate 

 20, Fig. 3). A cocoon was made in this manner, by a specimen 

 in a breeding cage, Aug. 5. 



The cocoon is oval or oblong-oval, ymm.xsnnn.; it is very 

 white and semi-transparent, and of a low convex form, having 

 the central portion which is occupied b}- the insect, a little more 

 elevated (Plate 20, Fig. 2). This figure is of a cocoon, enlarged, 

 showing the flat expanded portion, and the central part surmount- 

 ed b)' the remains of the host, on the right side of which is .shown 

 the sack in which the parasite lived. 



From August 5 to August 15, quite a number of leaves, having 

 cocoons of this parasite, were collected from climbing bittersweet. 



•-Contributions from tlie Department of Zoology and Entomology, Ohio State Univer- 

 sity, No. 13. 



