April, '09] JoriJNAL OF ECONOMIC EXTOMOLOGY ISl 



By establishing colonies in this manner, without innuature stages 

 present, it is easy to observe the daily rate of egg deposition, the in- 

 cubation period of the eggs, and the duration of the larval and pupal 

 stages. In some of the records given below single individuals have 

 been kept under observation from deposition of the egg, through 

 larval and pupal stages, to the adult. In other cases the time from 

 deposition of the tirst egg until hatching of the first larva was as- 

 sumed to be the period of incubation, date of hatching of first larva 

 to formation of first pupa the duration of larval period, etc. 



The Queen 



The dealated queen is well illustrated at c. figure 4." The de- 

 alated queen measures from 4.5 to 5 mm. in length and queens meas- 

 uring 6 mm. in length are not uncommon. It should be remarked 

 here that during egg laying periods the abdomen is much larger and 

 longer than shown in the drawing. Normally the abdomen extends 

 well beyond the tarsi of the hind legs. Unfortunately, a drawing 

 cannot show the delicate silky pubescence of the queen's Ijodj^ and 

 in life she is a far more beautiful creature than one would imagine 

 from the drawing, correct though the latter is in anatomical detail.* 



The credit for first discovering and recognizing the queens of this 

 species seems to belong to Mr. E. Baker, formerly superintendent 

 of Audubon Park, New Orleans, and Prof. R. E. Blouin, formerly 

 in charge of the Audubon Park Experiment Station. Queens found 

 by them in August. 1905, are still in the writer's collection." If 

 Mr. Titus was familiar with the queens he evidently failed to mention 

 it in his interesting account of this species.*' 



The rate at whicii the cpieen deposits eggs varies with the prevail- 

 ing temperature and egg deposition is suspended entirely at low tem- 

 peratures. In the artificial formicaries, already described, the nura- 



'The writer is under obligations to Dr. W. M. Wheeler for a critical examina- 

 tion of the drawings shown in figure 4 prior to their engravure. 



*For a detailed description of the queen, see Jovrxal of Ecoxomic Ento- 

 mology, I, p. 29. 



^Following is the letter from Professor Blouin. announcing the finding of 

 these queens : 



Audubon Park, New Orleans, La., 

 August 21, 1905. 

 Mr. Wilmon Kewell, Shreveport, La. 



Dear Sir : I enclose .vou a few specimens of the queen ant of the species 

 recently investigated here by Mr. Titus, named by him the New Orleans ant, 

 or Iridomyrmex huinilis Mayr. These were collected by Mr. E. Baker, Supt. 

 of Audubon Park, in his nursery right close to us. 



(Signed) R. E. Blouin. 



"Bulletin 52, Bur. of Entomology, p. 79. 



