CHAITOPHORUS ACERIS. 125 



Montpellier. I have not, however, seen the living 

 insect, and thus I am unable to figm^e it. 



Oviparous a])terons female. 



Inch. Millimetres. 



Size of body 0055x0-030 1-39 X 076. 



Rather smaller than the apterous male. Occurs of 

 various colours, such as yellow, green, brown, or 

 wholly black. The lighter specimens have two dark 

 green spots, and a series of black stripes down the 

 back. Legs and antennae yellowish. 



The abdominal cavity, extending into the prothorax, 

 is sometimes occupied by as many as eight large eggs. 

 After pairing, these females secrete themselves in the 

 substance of the harder twigs of the maple, &c., and 

 deposit their ova during November and December. 

 These eggs remain unhatched until the following 

 spring, whence the queen-mothers or foundresses of 

 the colonies issue to begin a new cycle. 



I received two specimens of this oviparous family 

 from Montpellier ; both of which had been struck by 

 an Aphidius, When unpacked they had deposited three 

 shiny eggs. These were duly figured [vide Plate 

 LXXVIII, fig. 6), but the next day, on referring to 

 these eggs (which unfortunately had been left un- 

 covered during the night), something evidently had 

 escaped from them, which I can only suppose were 

 parasites ; simply the shrivelled membranes remained. 



In a letter from M. Lichtenstein he says, " It is a 

 curious fact that, whilst lading their eggs, both these 

 specimens have been stung by some ichneumonid 

 (Aphidius ?), and probably you may see the little 

 Hymenopterum soon issue out of these lice. Here the 

 destructive parasite has lost its time, for the Chaito- 

 phorus has already laid its egg for next year's genera- 

 tion. I note that this is often the case." 



It is clear, however, that these insects had more 

 than a single Qgg to lay, and in these either the eggs 



