26 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 



chus gentilii} In this paper he described the adult, of which he 

 stated he had both sexes. According to his observations, these 

 copulate frequently, after which the female seeks out the young 

 larvae of the host and oviposits in them. The larger larva, prepupa, 

 pupa, and adult stages are passed by in all cases. This insect, he 

 states, passes the winter ,as larva in its dead host and completes its 

 transformation in the spring. It has been very abundant in Liguria. 

 Del Guercio suggested that by cutting off limbs of the olive infested 

 with parasitized material and shipping the same, this species could be 

 diffused in new localities. It appears from his description of the 

 adult and its habits that he has a larger species than the one referred 

 to in the present paper and with quite different life history and 

 habits. 



Dr. L. O. Howard,^ December 7, 1911, gave a short note on the 

 discovery of the parasite treated in this paper, which is mentioned 

 here as it was the fu-st published note on tliis insect. 



Mr. J. C. Crawford, of the United States National Museum, in 

 December, 1911, described Thripodenus russelli as a new genus and 

 new species.-"' At the same time, the writer gave a brief summary 

 of the life history and habits of this insect.* 



The present paper, in the light of the information so far obtained 

 on this parasite, aims to present the life history, habits, and economy 

 of Thripodenus russelli. The writer has been ably assisted in the 

 work by Mr. John E. Graf and every point of importance discovered 

 in the life history of this insect has been separately verified by either 

 ]Mr. Graf or the writer. The writer also wishes to express his appre- 

 ciation to Dr. L. O. Howard, Dr. F. H. Chittenden, and Mr. J. C. 

 Crawford for their assistance in producing this paper. 



HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY. 



The writer, while engaged in the study of truck-crop and sugar- 

 beet insects, at Compton, Cal., began, in May, 1910, an investigation 

 of the life history, habits, and means of control of the bean thrips 

 (Fleliothrips fasciatus Pergande). From that time until the following 

 fall, frequent collections of the young of this insect were matle for 

 study and rearing purposes. On November 10, 1910, the last collec- 

 tion of larvae of this thrips found that year was made in the yard 

 of the laboratory, for the purpose of determining in what stage this 

 insect passed the winter. These fall-collected larvae were placed in 

 vials and kept under daily observation and on December 10 four 

 specimens of the prepupal stage of Heliothrips fasciatus gave unmis- 



1 Atti Dei Georgoflli Di Firenze, 5 ser., vol. 8, pp. 222-227, WU. 



2 Report of the Entomologist for 1911, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



3 Troc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 13, p. 233, December 29, 1911. 

 * Ibid., pp. 235-238. 



