282 STATE HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 



posteriorly; the second transverse cubital nervure slightly curved; recurrent 

 nervure, on aline and confluent with in tercubital nervure; interno-discoidal 

 cell shorter than externo-discoidal ; abdomen smooth, shining, slightly 

 pubescent; petiole shining black, rather heavy, triangular, broadening 

 posteriorly; lateral tubercles slightly developed, upper surface rugose; 

 second segment yellowish brown, broadly margined posteriorly with black ; 

 last four segments black, the sutures marked with rows of hairs; entire 

 under parts honey yellow, except petiole and tip of the abdomen, which 

 are black; legs yellow except a terminal spot on each femur, which is quite 

 extended on the posterior femora, a line along the hinder edge of the 

 posterior tibiae, and the middle and posterior tarsi which are dusky. 

 Length .20 of an inch. Described from three males. 



This species seems very near to Meteorus intermedins, Cress., but differs 

 in its dusky scape, brown prothorax, entire absence of spots before the 

 anterior coxa?, one line or spot on central lobe of mesothorax, not two; the 

 spots on femora are wanting in intermedius, and the front tarsi dusky. As 

 all our specimens agree it would seem that this is a separate species. 



PARASITES ON CURRANT SPAN ^YORM. 



The currant span-worm, Eufitchia ribearia, 

 Fitch, appeared in central Michigan in alarming 

 numbers the past season (1890) for the first 

 time. (See Report State Board of Agriculture, 

 1890, p. 110. ) Though apparently a new comer 

 it was not without enemies from the very 

 first. Upon close examination we found 

 almost as many cocoons of parasites as we 

 found span-worms. These were cocoons of 

 the bright yellow Braconid, Meteorus Communis, 

 Cresson. (Fig. 5.) The larva when full grown 

 comes forth from its victim and suspends its- 

 minute oval brownish cocoon to the twigs by 

 Fig. 5— Female. means of a fine silken thread. In a few days 



the fly comes forth to renew the good work of destroying the span-worm. 

 The fly is about the size of M. Bakeri. It is uniform honey-yellow in 

 color, though in some specimens the antenna? and portions of the feet are 

 dusky. It is described in Canadian Entomologist, Vol. IV, p. 82. From 

 the exceeding numbers of this insect it must have done royal service in 

 depleting the numbers of the span-worms. It prays upon other insects 

 besides the span worm. 



THE BEAUTIFUL MESOCHORUS. 



From a large number of cocoons which were gathered from twigs where 

 Eufitchia ribearia were feeding, we reared two other parasites, belonging 

 to the family IchneumonidaB, both of which I think are new species. It is 

 to be hoped that these are parasites on the span-worms, but as the cocoons 

 were so very similar to those of the Braconid last referred to, I fear that 

 these may be parasites on that insect. 



