THE TURTL1>BA('K SOALK. 



51 



sites are, as usual, minnte Hymenopterous flios belonging to the family 

 of the Cludcididce. The destruction which tlioy work upon colonies of 

 the Bark-louse is so great that frequently it ai)pears an accident due to 

 oversight on the part of the parasites if among the throng an occcasional 

 individual Coccid escapes. Among scattered and solitary individuals of 

 Lecaninui the destruction l»y parasites is less complete and many escaiK-. 

 If it were to remain strictly gregarious at all seasons of the year this 

 now common Bark louse wotdd no doubt speedily become a rai ity. The 

 following four species of these i)arasites have been observed to i)rey 

 upon Lecaniidn hc.spcrulnm : 



Coccophagns lecanii (Fitch). — In this species the general .color of the 

 bod}' is black, the crescent-shaped shield on the back between the 

 wings is lemon yellow in the female and brown in the male; eyes dark- 

 red brown ; antenniB light brown, with the tip of the club darker; 

 wings dear,^ with dark-brown veins; thighs brown, yellow at the ex- 

 tremities, the remainder of the legs liglit yellow, with the last joint of 

 the tarsi brown. The length varies from 1'"'" ((1.04 inch) in the female to 

 0.5'""' (0.02 inch) in the male. 



This i)ar;isite lives upon several species of Bark lice, and is found in 

 all parts of the United States. In Florida it is the most co'umon pani 

 site of Lccaninm hcsperiduni, and is seldom absent fron) its (•(»lonit's. 

 With rare excei)tions a solitary specimen of Coccophagns ociiiiiics ilu* 

 body of each parasitized Lecaninui. The Coccids are always attacked 

 before they attain full growth. In dying they turn black and adhere 

 tirndy to the bark. The bloated and hardened skin of the Bark-h)use 

 forms a casket in which the i)arasife undergoes its transformation to a 

 l)upa of dark color, and from which it emerges in time as a perft ct tiy 

 through a iound hole eaten jn the shell. If there are any distinct broods 

 they coincide with those of the Bark-louse, and with the colonies of the 

 latter the numbers of the ])arasite increase or diminish. 



CoccopJiaguficnfjnatUii Howard (Fig. 12) 

 is a somewhat larger species than the 

 preceding, rather lighter (dajk brown) 

 in color. In the female the shield ui)on 

 the back is orange-yellow ; in the male 

 the corresponding parts are tipped with 

 light .^ellowish-brown. The front legs 

 are fuscous, the middle and hind pairs 

 darker; all the tarsi are whitish, with 

 the last two joints dusky. Length of 

 female 1.2"'>" (0.05 inch), of male ('.(i'"'" 

 (0.02 inch). This si)ecies, lirst noted ^^^- i2.-Cowopftn.7^l«^^^eoj,Haft«. (After 

 and des(aibed by INIr. Ilowaid (Report 



of Commissioner of Agriculture for 1880, p. 359), was bred from Lecan- 

 ium hesperidum on orange trees in the orange bouse of the Department 

 of Agriculture at Washington. 



