DEVELOPMENT OF A HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITE 517 
Hosts of Spalangia. Ashmead, writing in 1894,’ stated that 
the members of the genus Spalangia are parasitic upon the larvae 
of Diptera. Since that time, the accumulation of additional data 
has shown that these Chalcidoids are by no means restricted in 
their parasitism to the Diptera, but as the accompanying list 
indicates, may even attack Lepidoptera, while several species 
have become myrmecophilous. However, a decided preference 
is shown for Diptera and especially for the house fly, Musca 
domestica. 
SPECIES PARASITIZING DIPTERA HOSTS 
Spalangia drosophilae Ashmead Drosophila sp. 
Spalangia haematobiae Ashmead Haematobia serrata Riley and Howard 
Musca domestica L. 
Spalangia muscidarum Richardson Stomoxys calcitrans L. 
Haematobia serrata Riley and Howard? 
Spalangia nigra Latreille Musca domestica L. 
Spalangia fuscipes Ness Lasioptera erynagii (Giraud) 
Spalangia hirta Haliday Musca domestica L. 
SPECIES PARASITIZING LEPIDOPTERA 
Spalangia nigra Latreille Coleophora giraudi (Giraud) 
MYRMECOPHILOUS SPECIES 
Spalangia erythromera Forster With Lasius fuliginosus 
Spalangia formicaria Kieffer With Lasius fuliginosus 
Normal activities of the imago. Spalangia muscidarum is a very 
active insect, crawling and flying with perfect ease and consider- 
able rapidity. Often when suddenly touched with any instru- 
ment, it will arch the body and draw its legs closely to its sides 
so that a quite lifeless position is assumed. ‘This it may main- 
tain for some time, or the spell may be only momentary, the 
insect returning to its normal poise almost immediately after 
the disturbance. 
7 Loc. cit., p. 28. 
8 Mr. W. D. Hunter informs me that Spalangia muscidarum was bred from this 
species in Texas on a number of occasions, but that Stomoxys calcitrans was a 
more common host. 
