ISconomic Importance of the Parasites of Coccidie. 223 



houses, especially on ferns ; in the department greenhouses 

 at Washington, D.C., it is found on the orange, Drisipyrits, 

 Ghry Sophy llus, sago-palm, and Groton variegatits ; on 

 NeijJirolepis cxultatus and on Cycas in the College green- 

 house at Colorado ; on the house-fern and potted plants in 

 New Mexico ; on Cycas revoluta at Ames, Iowa ; on two 

 species of ferns at Warehouse Point, Conn. ; on the sword- 

 fern Ftcris, sp., at Lawrence, Kansas ; on ferns, palms, 

 orange and oleander in Georgia; on Arecha catecha grown 

 in pots in Jamaica ; on Cycas revoluta, orange, oleander at 

 Lawrence, Mass. ; and on the fern Nephrolepis tuberosa at 

 Cambridge, Mass. A common greenhouse pest in Europe, 

 according to Signoret. It is found living out of doors in 

 Europe and America." No mention, however, is made of 

 any parasite. 



This scale I find is parasitized to an enormous extent by 

 a small Chalcid, viz. Gomys infelix, n. sp.* On many of 

 the same plants I also found another scale, Chionaspis 

 aspidistrm, in great profusion, and I ascertained that it was 

 parasitized by a very much smaller Chalcid, which may be 

 Aspidiotiphagus citrinus, Howard, or more probably a 

 form allied thereto. This insect has not, so far, been 

 recorded in Britain, though it is possible it is in Walker's 

 list under some name that has been unknown to the 

 American Entomologists, who have done almost all the 

 recent work on this subject. This is one of the smallest of 

 insects, being scarcely visible to the naked eye ('35 m.m.), 

 but its power of destroying the scale is enormous. On 

 examining some of the badly infested plants I have noticed 

 that scarcely any of the Coccidje have escaped destruction 

 by the Chalcid. Though the scales look perfectly natural, 

 a minute round hole in each individual may be detected 

 on close inspection. And yet the work of this microscopic 



* This insect has been submitted to Dr. Howard, ]\Ir, Cameron and 

 Mr. Newstead, neither of whom is acquainted with it. It is closely 

 allied to Gomys alhitarsis Zett., and G. bicolor Howard. The 

 following diagnosis will be sufficient till I give a fuller description in 

 the paper I am preparing on its life-history and structure. 



Gumys infelix, n. sp., Encyrtiuarum. 5 variegata, capite thorace- 

 que fusco-aurantiacis, scutello nigro-liirto, abdomine nigro-subvio- 

 laceo ; pedorum coxis omnibus femoribusque anterioribus et inter- 

 mediis albidis, femoribus versus apicena tibiisque fusco-flavis, his 

 apicem versus laete flavis ; tibiis posterioribus nigris ; tarsis posteriori- 

 bus albidis, basi apiceque nigro-maculatis ; antennis scapo flavo, fla- 

 gello nigro, flavo-maculato ; alls anterioribus late nigro-signatis. 

 Long. Corp. 2 m.m., expans. alarum 3J m.m. 



