28 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. xii. 



347) some observations on it and Z. gracilis Newm. The following 



notes, which were made several years ago, in the neighborhood of 



Washington, D. C, add some new facts in the life economy of the 



genus. 



Languria mozardi Latr. 



To the already long list of larval food plants of this species, which 

 is now well-known under the name of clover-stem borer, may be 

 added the Joe-Pye weed (^Eupatorium purpureum') and thorough-wort 

 (.£". perfoliatuni), from which the writer has reared it. Larvae and 

 pupa taken in stems of wild lettuce {Lactuca canadensis) and subse- 

 quently reared were both bright orange in color. A larva transformed 

 to pupa September 2 and to adult 9 days later. 



A chalcidid parasite, which Mr. Ashmead has described as Habro- 

 cytus languri(z, and which was found still more commonly with L. 

 trifasciata was reared from mozardi. A larva of the parasite found 

 attached to a beetle larva a day or two later detached itself from its 

 host and transformed to a naked pupa, the imago appearing Septem- 

 ber 17. The pupal period of the parasite in this case was between 

 ten and twelve days. 

 Languria bicolor Fab. 



Beginning with the middle of June, this species has been observed 

 in numbers on pale Indian plantain ( Cacalia atriplicifolia') at Glen 

 Echo and Cabin John, Md. Every plant at this time bore near its 

 summit a pair of the beetles, which species by the way had not hith- 

 erto been taken by anyone connected with the U. S. Dept. of Agricul- 

 ture in the neighborhood of the District of Columbia. The leaves 

 were much eaten, and every stem showed the egg nidus of the beetle. 

 By the first week of September most of the inhabitants of the stems of 

 plants growing in bottom land exposed to the sun had transformed to 

 pupa; and beetles. On higher ground in woodland, on plants growing 

 in more or less shady locations, larvae were also taken, there being a 

 noticeable difference in the rapidity of development of the species, due 

 to the different environment. Only a few uninfested plants were no- 

 ticed. Some contained only one or two individuals, but usually stems 

 are hollowed from the base to the flowers, four or five individuals occu- 

 pying a single stem. As in the case which will be mentioned of Lac- 

 iuca infested with Z. trifasciata, the presence of the insects in the 

 stems had no appreciable effect on the vitality of the plants, although 

 galls were frequently formed through the work of the larvae. 



