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On the Parasites of Odontota Suturalis. 



By L. O. Howard. 



I publish this short note on the parasites of Odontota Suturalis at the 

 request of Dr. Riley, who has recently made an exhaustive study of the 

 habits and life history of this interesting leaf-mining Coleopter, and who 

 wishes to refer to the parasites specifically in his paper without the necess- 

 ity of cumbering it with descriptive matter. He has bred four species, 

 all of which issued in July. 



i. Spilochalcis odontotae, m. This is strikingly handsome species, looking 

 like a dwarfed specimen of 8. marice (Riley. ) It was described by the writer to- 

 gether with other species of the genus in Bulletin 5 of the Division of Entomology. 

 It issues from the pupa of the Odontota the latter part of July. 



2. Sympiezus uroplatae, n. sp. Male. — Length 2.61 mm. Expanse4.6mm. 

 Flagellar joints of the antennae distinct and somewhat flattened. Whole of pro- and 

 mesonotum strongly shagreened. Median carina of metascutellum delicate, straight 

 and clearly definsd. Abdomen ovate. Hind coxae coarsely shagreened above. Color 

 metallic green ; scape yellowish beneath ; front femora brownish at base, distal half honey 

 yellow, tibiae and tarsi nearly white; middle and hind femora brownish, slightly me- 

 tallic above, tibiae and tarsi nearly white with the exception of a brownish tinge near 

 base of hind tibice. Wing veins dusky; stigmal more delicate than with other species. 



Described from 1 rf, bred from mine of Odontota [Uroplata) sutura- 

 lis, July 24, 1,884 at Washington, D. C. The larva of the Sympiezus 

 was observed on opening the mine, to feed externally on the larva of the 

 Onodonlota. 



3. Trichogramma odontotae, 11. sp. Female. — Length 0.55 mm., expanse 

 1. 12 mm. Color: eyes red, head, antennae, thorax and basal joint of abdomen or- 

 ange yellow, all legs light fuscous, remainder of abdomen light brown. Antenna; 

 except scape and including pedicel with a few short sparse hairs. Basal portion of 

 fore wing included by stigmatal vein slightly fuscous, remainder hyaline. 



Male. — Length averages about .05 to .1 mm., shorter than 9. wun wings of a- 

 bout the same proportionate length. Colors the same except that the abdomen is 

 darker, and the fuscous patch on the base of the fore wings is more pronounced. In 

 balsam-mounted specimens no complete division of the flagellum into joints can be ob- 

 served and the antennae appear 3 -jointed (scape 1, pedicel 2, flagellum 3). Conspic- 

 uous whorls of hair are present, however, indicating possible sub-divisions. The ap 

 pearence is much like that of the <^f antennae of Tr. erosicornis, Westw. (Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. Lond. Ser. 2, Vol. I. (1878) PI. 73, figs. 24 & 25) for which Westwood erects 

 the sub-genus Ajwobosca. 



Descrbed from <^ and 9 specimens bred during the month of July 

 from the egg masses of Odontota suturalis on Locust at Washington, D. C. 



4. Derostenus (Closterocerus) sp. A number of the brilliant little species of 

 this genus have been bred in this country fiom the leaf mines of both lepidopterous and 

 coleopterous larvae. None have ever been described and as they are very difficult of 

 separation and approach very closely to the European species, I shall not undertake 

 to publish an isolated species. A study of the American Entedonince will, of course, 



ENTOMOLOGICA AMERICANA 18 



