feXPERiMENTs WITH myr:\iecophiloi:s cot,eoptek.\, etc. 11 



Mr. E. A. Fitch, kindly supplies the following information : — 

 A. (jroHsulariata is moderately subject to parasites. Many species of 

 Ichnenmonidae and Braconidae have been recorded, but the more 

 general parasites are the large black Ivkncumon triliuratus, Gmel., a 

 solitary parasite emerging from the lepidopterous pupa, and ( 'asinaria 

 vidua, Gr., whose larva spins a compact oval cocoon '■, very like coarse 

 brown paper, with a distinct black band towards each end. The 

 irregularly-clustered, sulphur-yellow, woolly cocoons of Apanteles 

 rxhripeK, Hal., and A. f/loineratiis, L., are well known. Several diffe- 

 rent species of MesocJiorus [Iclineumnnidae) are hyperparasitic on the 

 i'asinaria, or even on the Apanteles, or may be bred from the naked 

 pup* of the dipterous Tachinids. The most frequent dipterous para- 

 site is the variable and common K.vorhta ndnaris, Fall. 



*This cocoon is figured in Entomolvgist, vol. xvii., pi. ii., tig. 11 (June 1884). 



Further experiments with Myrmecophilous Coleoptera, etc. 



By H. St. .J. K. DONISTHOllPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



In the Knt(i)ii()lo<iiAfs Ilecnrd, 1901, p. 349, I gave the results 

 obtained in some experiments with Myrmecophilous Coleoptera, and I 

 stated that I hoped to make further experiments in the future. The 

 following are the experiments I have been able to carry out in 

 1902 :— 



AtiiiieU'^ jHiradn.rus, Grav. — Mr. Keys, having kindly sent me a living 

 specimen of this rare beetle which he had captured in a nest of Fonnica 

 fiisra, near Plymouth, I, on April 8th last, put several ants out of my 

 observation-nest of Fonnica riifa into a small glass-topped box with 

 the beetle. When it met an ant it exhibited the old defence, thrusting 

 the tail, which it carried bent over the back, into the ant's face, and 

 " twiddling " the antennte very rapidly. The ant fell back, and the 

 beetle was not attacked. ^Yhen held by a leg with a pair of forceps to 

 an ant, the ant refused to take hold of the beetle ; when both beetle 

 and ant were held, and the ant forced to seize the beetle, the ant im- 

 mediately dropped it unhurt on being set free. I then introduced the 

 beetle into my F. riifa nest, where it ran about amongst crowds of 

 ants, using the old defence, and was not hurt. 



Dinarda dcntata, Grav. — The same results were obtained from 

 similar experiments with this beetle, which was also sent to me alive 

 by Mr. Keys, from a nest of F. fnsca. It carried the tail down till it 

 met an ant, when it bent it over its back and thrust it into the ant's 

 face. When an ant was forced to seize it, the ant immediately dropped 

 it, and ran round in a circle for some time. Introduced into the nest 

 it ran about unhurt. 



lilaiijiilKs iiKttidatiis, Gerv.— On April 19th, I introduced a specimen 

 of this myrmecophilous myriapod, which I had taken in a nest of F. 

 iiifa, near Chobhain, the day before, into my F. i nfa nest. It was not 

 attacked. When an ant was forced to hold it, which was not easy, it 

 was dropped at once and the ant refused to touch it again, the same 

 result was obtained with other ants. On holding the Flanjulm to my 

 nose I was surprised to notice a strong smell similar to that given oft' 

 by Mijniu'dojiia. When let loose in the nest the creature entered the 



