May 22, 1916 Ornix geminatella 295 



conditions it increases rapidly and then when the parasites get the 

 upper hand it suddenly disappears. In the summer of 191 2 it reached 

 a climax as regards abundance. During the fall the parasites increased 

 in such numbers that but few of the caterpillars escaped to pupate and 

 pass the winter. The check, owing to the beneficial work of the para- 

 sites, was complete, for the miner has not attracted attention since 191 2. 



As the investigation of the miner progressed, it was observ^ed that 

 many of the mines went no farther than the blotch stage, while others 

 arrived at the tentiform stage; but from them no caterpillars emerged. 

 In such mines would be found the dried skin of the caterpillar and the 

 lar^^a or pupa of a parasite. Only casual obser\^ations were made on 

 the habits and life cycles of the different species of parasites. One of 

 the common species was found to attack the more mature caterpillars 

 and pupate in a small, oval, white cocoon suspended in the tentiform 

 mine. Others destroyed the younger miners and pupated without 

 producing cocoons in the blotch mines. The grub of one of the parasites 

 was observed to attack the miner just behind the third pair of thoracic 

 legs, paralyzing and eventually destroying it. 



The collection of parasites was first submitted to Prof. Crosby, who, 

 from a portion of the collection, identified two species: Synipiesis 

 nigrifemora Ash. and 5. tischerae Ash. Later Mr. Girault examined 

 the collection and identified two new species, 5. nieieGri Girault and 

 Eulophus lineaticoxa Girault, and one previously recognized species, 5. 

 dolichogaster Ash. Besides these five species, there were a number of 

 males which were not determined. Brunn (i) reared two species of 

 Sympiesis from the mines of this insect. They v/ere recorded under 

 the manuscript names of 5. mmuhis Howard and 5. liihocolletidis Howard ; 

 but the descriptions by Howard were apparently never published, and 

 Ashmead later redescribed the latter species as S. nigrifemora Ash. 



LITERATURE CITED 

 (i) Erunn, a. E. 



1883. Tineidae infesting apple trees at Ithaca. Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. 

 2d Ann. Rpt. 1882/S3, p. 148-162, pi. 5-6. 



(2) Chambers, V. T. 



1873. Micro-Lepidoptera. In Canad. Ent., v. 5, no. 3, p. 44-50. 



(3) DiETZ, W. G. 



1907. The North American species of the genus Omix Tr. In Trans. Amer. 

 Ent. Soc, V. 2,^, no. 2/3, p. 287-297, pi. 4. 



(4) Forbes, S. A. 



1889. The apple Ornix. In 15th Ann. Rpt. State Ent. 111. [1884/86], p. 51-57. 



(5) Jarvis, C. D. 



1906. The apple leaf-miner. A new pest of the apple. Conn. Storrs Agr. 

 Exp. Sta. Bui. 45, p. 37-55. 



(6) Lowe, V. H. 



1900. Two apple leaf miners. In N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 180, p. 131-135, 

 pi. 6-7. 



(7) Packard, A. S. 



1869. Guide to the study of insects. 702 p., illus., 11 pi. Saiem. 



