268 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



related to Hormomyia, perhaps a connecting link between Asphondylarias 

 and Honididinariifi. It is marked by distinctly constricted flagellate 

 antennal segments of the male, the numerous low-looped circumfila and 

 the presumably narrowly oval lobes of the ovipositor. Another new 

 genus is Heterohremia, a peculiar type easily distinguished from Homo- 

 hremia by the two widely separated linear processes extending from the 

 posterior lateral angles of the ventral plate and reaching to the tip of 

 the style. The genitalia are very complex, and there are also marked 

 structural peculiarities in the antennee. J. A. T. 



Antennae of Termites. — Claude Fuller {Annals Natal Museum, 

 1920, 4, 235-95, 1 pL, 14 figs.). An account of the post-embryonic 

 development of the antennte in numerous termites. All are funda- 

 mentally composed of a two-jointed scape supporting a fiagellum of a 

 variable number of joints. In a developing antenna the flagellum shows 

 an apical, an intermediate, and a basal zone, the last zone being forma- 

 tive. The internal metamorphosis is ordinarily in evidence inside the 

 " conventional " joint which composes the basal piece. This joint (III) 

 is a capsule enclosing a series of joint elements. The final number of 

 joints in the antenna is due to the abjunction of many or few new joints 

 in an acrogenous manner from joint III. The details of this are 

 described. Soldiers tend to have fewer joints than their corresponding 

 workers ; the smaller castes of a species tend to have fewer joints than 

 the larger ; and the smaller species fewer than the larger. Variability 

 in the jointing of the antenna is traceable to (1) a newer tendency to be 

 few-jointed ; (2) a fusion of joint elements ; (3) nutrition .(the well-fed 

 individual having more joints) ; and (4) a probable correlation between 

 the growth of the antenna and the development or degeneration of the 

 gonads in unfertile castes. The jointing cannot be utilized for taxo- 

 nomic purposes without thorough investigation of the community. 



J. A. T. 



Parasites of Blow-flies. — A. M. Alston {Proc. Zool. Soc, 1920, 

 195-243, 20 figs.). The Braconid AJysia manducator oviposits in the 

 larvae of several carrion-feeding Diptera ; one parasite emerges from 

 each host puparium ; over-parasitism kills the larva ; the mean duration 

 of the life-cycle was 52 days ; both sexes fly ; the average contents of 

 the ovaries was 366 eggs for 12 females. The Chalcid Nasonia hrevi- 

 coriiis oviposits in the puparia of several species of stercoral and carrion 

 feeding larva? ; from 1-62 were found in parasitized puparia ; the life- 

 cycle ranges from 11-22| days ; only the female can fly ; the male 

 remains near the vicinity of emergence, where its life is spent in fight- 

 ing and mating ; the average progeny was 133 per female. The Chalcid 

 can act as an accidental secondary parasite on Alysia, if and when 

 puparia containing the latter are within its limited reach. Both 

 parasites in their hibernating stage, as full-grown larvfe, can successfully 

 withstand over 6 weeks at 2° C. It appears that Alysia manducator is 

 the more important as a natural control of the blow-fly ; Nasonia hrevi- 

 cornis is more effective as a natural control of species which constantly 

 breed in permanent refuse and garbage heaps, such as the house-fly. / 



J.A.T. 



