NO. 2293. PARASITIC CTIALCIDOID FLIES— TIMBERLAKE. 139 



and it is possible that in such cases more or less interbreeding takes 

 place, although this is not yet proved. Thus at Brownsville, Texas, 

 at least four variations of //. terminalis (Say) have been discovered, 

 all apparently from the same liost, Coleomegilla maculata fusciJahris 

 (Mulsant), and two of wliich are practically at either extremes of the 

 colorational range of the species. 



In this comiection it would be well to note that all specimens of 

 the same brood are practically identical in coloration, and this holds 

 true also when the parasites are bred through several generations. 



The writer's experience in this connection has not been so exten- 

 sive as desirable, yet it is of considerable interest. In the summer 

 of 1913 a brood of H. californicus Girault was reared at Salt Lake 

 City, Utah, from a larva of Adalia hijmnctata (Linnaeus), and the 

 parasites were carried through several generations on the same host 

 with the greatest ease. In the spring of 1915 a few specimens of 

 H. terminalis (Say), belonging to a dark-colored variety, were col- 

 lected at BroMiisville, Texas, in a small plot of oats where the larvae 

 of Coleomegilla had been abundant a short time previously. These 

 were supplied with larvae of Coleomegilla, but failed to show any 

 interest in them. Specimens reared a few weeks later from a larva 

 of the same host collected near Bro%%Tisville behaved in the same 

 manner and also refused to attack larvae of two or three other species 

 of CoccineUids includmg Cydoneda ruhripennis Casey and Adalia 

 hipunctata (Linnaeus). This behavior seemed unaccountable, as 

 usually Homalotylus females like all other Encyrtids handled by 

 the MTiter have oviposited m captivity with much readiness when 

 supplied with their customary host, yet it must be admitted that 

 the parasites were not given a complete trial on account of the press 

 of other work. In July of the same year (1915) a brood of Homa- 

 lotylus californicus Girault was reared at Salt Lake City, Utah, from 

 a larva that" was considered at the time to belong probably to Hippo- 

 damia convergens Guerin, and a series of experiments was started with 

 these females, which, although not complete, has more than the usual 

 significance. Unfortunately no larvae of Hippodamia convergens 

 were at hand for experimentation, but larvae of the following species 

 v/ere exposed to the parasites under close observation: Hippodamia 

 parenthesis (Say), Hippodamia lecontei Mulsant, Hippodamia 5- 

 signata uteana Casey, Hippodamia 5-signata amhigua LeConte (from 

 Oregon stock), Coccinella 5-notata Kirby, Coccinella 9-notata Herbst, 

 Coccinella dijficilis Crotch, Olla ahdominalis (Say) (from Texas stock), 

 and Naemia seriata (Melsheimer) (from Texas stock). Of all these 

 possible hosts only Coccinella 5-notata and Coccinella dijficilis proved 

 attractive to the parasites, and the larvae of these two species were 

 immediately parasitized when exposed to the females. The larvae 

 of the other species were either entirely disregarded, or rejected by 



