ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 863 



Revision of the Australian Curculionidae belonging to the subfamily 

 Cryptorhynchides, A. M. Lea (I'roc. Linn. 8oc. X. .S'. Wales, 33 {190S), pi. .',. 

 pp. 701-132). — This jiart deals with Chfetectetorus and some of the allied genera. 

 The chalcidoid parasites of the coccid Eulecanium nigrofasciatum. with 

 descriptions of three new North American species of the subfamilies En- 

 cyrtinse and Aphelininse from Illinois, A. A. Girault (Psyche, 16 (1969), 

 No. ■'/, pp. 75-86). — Three species, Anagyrus nubilipcnnis. Aphycus stnmnchosns. 

 and Coccophagus cinguliventris, bred in Illinois from the terrapin scale, are 

 described as new to science. C. longifasciatus and C. lecanii are also recorded 

 as having been bred froih the terrapin scale. A bib]iograi)li.v of C. Iccnnii is 

 api)ended. 



Oligosita americana n. sp., a new chalcidoid of the family Trichogram- 

 midae from Illinois, A. A. Girault (Psyche, 16 (1909). Xu. .7, /*/>. 106-110).— 

 This new species reared from the eggs of a jassid (i)robabl.v Dorycephalus 

 platyrhynchus) is described under the manuscript name formerly given by 

 Ashmead. A previous record of this parasite as bred from the eggs of an 

 Isosoma is said to Jje l)ased on erroi-. the eggs of the jassid being found in the 

 stems uf Elymus along with the Isosoma larv;e. 



A second cooperative study of Vespa vulgaris, comparison of queens of 

 a single nest and queens of a general population, E. Y. Thomson, Julia 

 Bell, and K. Pearson { liiometrika, 7 (1909), No. 1-2, pp. J,8-63, figs. 2).— 

 In a biometric study of the wing of V. vulgaris comparison was made of 18 

 characters in the 2 wings between queens from 1 nest and queens of the gen- 

 eral poi»nlation. The remarkable decrease in the variability which Warren 

 found for South African termites, namely retluction to about one-half, is found 

 to hold also for wasi>s. For the tirst time the reduction due to selecting an 

 essentially endogamous group for an indefinite number of generations is 

 worked out theoretically, and it is shown that with the usual values of 

 parental heredity, it could hardly exceed O.S as against the observed 0.5. The 

 authors have further series in hand, and meanwhile hesitate to attribute the 

 ().:! difference solely to environmental conditions. 



Ant communities and how they are governed, H. C. McCook (New York 

 and Ijnitldti. lUiili. pp. XVII-\-3>l. pi. 1. figs. 97). — A popular account of the bio- 

 nomics of the ants. 



Ants and plants, K. Escherich (Tharand. Forsil. Jahrh.. 60 (1909). pp. 

 66-96, figs. 2). — The author discusses ants in their relation to plants, first, as 

 enemies (pp. 68-80). then as protectors and propagators (pp. 81-96). 



Ticks on the California ground squirrel, W. B. Wherry and F. C. Well- 

 man (Ent. News, 20 (1909), No. 9, p. 376). — Dermacentor occidentalis and a 

 new species to which Banks has given the manuscript name Ixodes wqualis are 

 paid to have been found heavily infesting the California ground squirrel. 



A new species of Haemaphysalis from East Africa, C. W. Howard (Ann. 

 Transvaal Mas., 1(1909), No. 4, pp. 219-223. figs. 10).— The tick here described 

 as new was taken from a bird (Centropus burchelH) in Portuguese East Africa. 

 Males, engorged females, engorged nymphs, and engorged larvfe were found on 

 the host at the same time. 



Arthropods and their role in disease transmission, R. Blanchard (Uln- 

 secte et rinfection; histoire naturelle et medicale des arthropods pathogenes. 

 Paris, 1909, pt. 1, pp. 160, figs. 197). — In this fascicle the acarids are con- 

 sidered, the greater part of the subject matter being taken up by the ticks. 

 The first chapter (pp. 5-9) is devoted to a general account of the acarids; the 

 second (pp. 10--37) to an account of the anatomy of the ticks; and the third 

 (pp. 38-49) to their biology, and natural enemies. 



