270 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



PARASITE OF THE SOFT BROWN SCALE. 



Encyrtus flavus Howard (Familj? Eiicyrtidse) . 

 (Fig. 267.) 



General Appearance. — A small parasite scarcely one sixteenth 

 of an inch long. The general color of the female is ochre; compound 

 eyes brown ; ocelli red ; antennae yellow with tips black ; the tips of the 

 feet black. The basal third of the fore wings are clear with the 

 remainder clouded with brown ; the hind wings are clear. The males 

 are considerably smaller than the females, and shiny metallic green in 

 color with legs and antennae very light; wings clear with brown veins. 



Distribution. — Quite common throughout the State, but especially 

 abundant in the southern part. 



Fig. 267. — Encyrtus flavus Howard, parasitic on the soft 

 brown scale. (Original. Drawing by Birdnekoff. ) 



Hosts. — Reared from the soft-brown scale (Coccus hesperidum) 

 which is often very effectually checked by its attacks. 



THE SCUTELLISTA. 



Scutellista cyanea Motsch. (Family Encyrtidse). 

 (Fig. 268.) 



General Appearance. — The adult is a small four-winged parasite, 

 less than one eighth of an inch long, robust and metallic steel-blue to 

 nearly black in color. 



Life History. — The small oblong white eggs are placed under the 

 shell of the black scale. They are somewhat larger than the eggs of 

 the scale and hatch in from five to six days into crescent-shaped white 

 legless larvfe, which feed upon the eggs of the black scale for fifteen 

 to twenty days, when they pupate and after another like period emerge 

 as adults from the shells of the scale through circular holes cut for this 

 purpose. The adult lives a little over a week. 



Distribution. — Throughout the entire State. 



Hosts. — Introduced especially to prey upon black scale (Saissetia 



