264 journal of economic entomology [vol. 10 



Habits of Adult 



Paraleptomastix abnormis takes very kindly to domestication and is 

 a very satisfactory parasite with which to work, since it is not affected 

 adversely by confinement. It is industrious in habits and swarms 

 about over infested fruit and plants in a businesslike manner, keeping 

 constantly on the move in its search for a suitable host. It is not easily 

 disturbed and will not fly unless forced to do so. In the orchards 

 where it has become established one to a dozen may be found upon a 

 leaf where they are continually seeking young mealy-bugs. 



OVIPOSITION 



Oviposition takes place as soon as the adult has emerged and its 

 wings have hardened, so that oogenesis must occur to a large extent 

 before the adult parasite leaves its host. The younger stages of the 

 Citrus Mealy-bug, first and second, are preferred as hosts. I have 

 not observed oviposition in the last stage, although it would probably 

 occur when this stage is forced upon the parasite. In the process of 

 oviposition there is very little preliminary work, the female simply 

 examining the host casually with her antennse, then turning, inserting 

 the ovipositor into the host 's body, and depositing the eggs in a com- 

 paratively short period of time. The mealy-bug resents the attack 

 by a considerable amount of squirming, but it is never sufficient to 

 deter the parasite from carrying out her purpose. In nature she ap- 

 parently places but one egg in a host, or at least one only reaches 

 maturity, but when forced to do so she will deposit as many as 100 

 eggs in a single mealy-bug. 



The Egg 



The egg is of the usual oval shape with a minute projection at one 

 end, very inconspicuous as compared with the stalk of many Encyrtid 

 eggs. The egg proper is filled with granular matter which gradually 

 becomes darker and more conspicuous as the em- 

 bryo develops. There is no visible sculpture. 

 The egg floats about freely in the body cavity 

 Fig. 9. Paralep- ^f the host and hatching takes place in about five 

 tomastix, ovarian days. The ovarian egg is a quite different appear- 

 egg. (Original.) ing object, as the accompanying illustration shows, 



tbere being a short neck or stalk with the egg proper 

 at one end, and an enlargement at the other, nearly the size of the por- 

 tion containing the embryo. This enlargement is transparent and is lost 

 during or immediately after the process of oviposition. The function 

 of this peculiar body is unknown to me, although it probably acts as a 



