BIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS OF COCKROACHES— ROTH & WILLIS 245 



Dicarnosis alfierii Mercet 



Natural hosts.— "Phyllodromia" sp., Egypt (Mercet, 1930) : Ac- 

 cording to Mercet, Dr. Alfieri claimed that this wasp parasitized one 

 of the species of 'Thyllodromia" found in Egypt, namely, Phyllo- 

 dromia [=Blattella] gernianica, Phyllodromia [ = Supella] supel- 

 lectilium and/or Phyllodromia treitliana. We do not know to which 

 modern genus the host of this wasp belonged. 



Cockroach, Egypt? (Mercet m Compere, 1938.) 



Eutrichosomella blattophaga Girault 

 Natural host.— Cockrosich, Australia, Queensland (Girault, 1915). 



Family EUPELMIDAE ' 

 Anastatus blattidifurax Girault 

 Natural host.— Cockroach, Australia, Queensland (Girault, 191 5). 



Anastatus floridanus Roth and Willis 



Natural host.—Eurycotis floridana, U.S.A., Florida (Roth and 

 Willis, 1954a). 



Experimental hosts. — Blatta orientalis, Eurycotis floridana, and 

 Periplaneta americana, U.S.A. (Roth and WilHs, 1954a). 



Adult behavior.— Female wasps are sexually receptive almost im- 

 mediately on leaving the ootheca. Mating takes 3-4 seconds. Males 

 mate repeatedly and may fertilize several females ; females may also 

 mate more than once. At about 80° F. the female wasps lived 2-4 

 days, males one day. 



Oviposition.— The female wasp first probes the ootheca with her 

 sheathed ovipositor until she finds an acceptable spot ; she then drills 

 through the wall of the ootheca with her ovipositor. One female ovi- 

 posited for 5 hours, but briefer periods were more usual. We have 

 seen six or more females ovipositing simultaneously into an ootheca 

 of Eurycotis floridana. One female was seen to feed on material that 

 oozed from the oviposition puncture. The wasp (pi. 34, A) may ovi- 

 posit into the ootheca of E. floridana while it is still being carried by 

 the female, as well as in oothecae that have been dropped and which 

 have hard walls. Eggs 36 days old were successfully parasitized. 



Development. — In Eurycotis floridana: In the laboratory, de- 

 velopment was completed in 34-36 days at about 85° F. This time was 

 regulated to some extent by the number of parasites in the ootheca. 



TBrues et al. (1954) include this family in the Encyrtidae. 



