PSYCHE. 



NOTES ON SOME EUROPEAN HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES 



OF THE HESSIAN-FLY, CECIDOMYIA DESTRUCTOR SAY, 



AND OTHER INSECTS; BRED BY DR. PAUL MARCHAL, 



THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT ENTOMOLOGIST. 



BY WILLIAM II. ASHMEAD. 



.Assistant Curator. Department of Insects, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 

 (Paper No. I.) 



Ill 1S95 and during the year 1S96 I 

 received several sendings of most inter- 

 esting Hymenopterous parasites, for 

 determination, from Dr. Paul Marchal, 

 the well-known French Government 

 entomologist, of the Paris Entomolog- 

 ical Station. 



All or nearh' all of these parasites 

 were bred material and are of great 

 l)ioIogic interest, since a few are appar- 

 ently new to science, and the hosts of 

 many others will now for the first time 

 be made known 



It is important, therefore, on account 

 of the economic importance of many of 

 the species, that the new species be 

 described and that all should be put on 

 record, for the benefit of those interested 

 in these insects. 



Below I have therefoie given descrip- 

 tions of the new species, and as briefly 

 as possible, the hosts and relationship 

 of the different parasites. 



In recording these rearings by Dr, 

 Marchal, I shall begin with the Euro- 

 pean parasites bred from the Hessian- 



fly, Cecidotjiyia destructor Say, and the 

 Wheat-fl}-, Cecidomyia (T:z'e/?«e Marchal, 

 since these tire of the greatest economic 

 importance. 



Host I . Cecidomyia destructor Say- 



(i) Boeotomits {MicromcJits) r!{fo- 

 Diaailatus Walk. 9 . 



(3) Merisus destructor Say $ 9 . 

 (3) Boeotomus coxalls n. sp. 



Winged form. 9 Length 2 mm. BronzeiJ 

 green, brighter on mesoiiotiini, the liead, 

 thorax beneath and metathorax purplish or 

 blue-green, somewhat coarsely squaineously 

 punctate; palpi white; scape of antennae 

 except apically and legs, except coxae, 

 brownish-yellow, knees, tips of tibiae and 

 tarsi, except last joint, and tegulae yellowish- 

 white; flagellum brown, subclavate, pubes- 

 cent. Head transverse, wider than the 

 thorax, about 3^ times as wide as thick antero- 

 posteriorly; eyes rather large oval. Anten- 

 nae 13-jointed with 2 minute ring-joints, 

 inserted slightly below the middle of the 

 face, but above an imaginary line drawn from 

 base of ej'es ; pedicel obconical; funicle 6- 

 jointed, the joints very slightly shortening 

 but also gradually widening to club, the first 



