December, '11] CUSHMAN: HOSTS AND PARASITES OF BRUCHID.E 493 



portion of South Texas. The only lot of material we have had was 

 collected by Mr. J. D. Mitchell at Brownsville, Texas, on November 

 20, 1907. No exact data were kept by Mr. Mitchell, but the forty 

 adults were recorded as having emerged between January 30 and 

 March 19, 1908. 



Between January 30 and August 11, 1908, thirty-five parasites 

 emerged. By far the most abundant was Urosigalphus bruchi Cwfd., 

 of which twenty-five specimens were reared. Six of the others were 

 Heterospilus hruchi Vier., one Phanerotoma sp., two Glyptocolastes 

 bruchivorus Cwfd. and the remaining one Parasierola distinguenda 

 Kieff. 



Among the breeding records of the Department of Agriculture is 

 one referring to this species. Unfortunately the host plant is not 

 given, but two species of parasites were reared. These were a single 

 male specimen of a Cerambycobius and two specimens of Glyptocolastes 

 bruchivorus Cwfd. The material was collected and reared February 

 1, 1911, at Brownsville, Texas, by D. K. McMillan. 



Bruchus quadrimaculatus Fabricius, Syst. El., II, p. 398. 



This species has been repeatedly observed by the writer and other 

 members of the boll weevil laboratory force heavily infesting its 

 normal host, the cowpea. At the laboratory in Dallas, Texas, it 

 was found heavily parasitized by two undetermined chalcids. 



It was frequently found visiting the nectaries of cotton plants in 

 the yard. 



Chittenden (Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agr., 1898, p. 247.) recorded 

 Bruchobius laticeps^ Ashm. and Aplastomorpha prattii Ashm. MS. 

 as attacking this species. The predaceous mite Pediculoides ventri- 

 cosus Newp. is also recorded by him as killing large numbers of the 

 various stages of this Bruchus and of B. chinensis L. 



Bruchus mimus Say, Cure. N. A., p. 2; Leconte Ed., I, p. 260. 



On September 12, 1907, Mr. W. D. Pierce found the pods of redbud 

 (Cercis canadensis) to have been infested, presumably by a bruchid. 

 The only trace of the insect found were the emergence holes and the 

 "exuvia? of a Cerambycobius female and of another parasite." On 

 October 18, 1907 the writer collected a large lot of these pods, from 

 which emerged many specimens of B. mimus and its parasites. 



The species is a continuous breeder, reproducing on the old 

 pods even within a darkened cage. Thus specimens were emerging 

 as late as October, 1908, from pods of the previous season. 



The following species of parasites were reared from this host: 

 Cerambycobius cyaniceps Ashm., Horismenus sp., and Glyptocolastes 



» Recorded as B. laticollis Ashm. which is an erroneous spelling of B. laliceps Ashm. 



