PSYCHE. 



[Marcli iSSS. 



PSYCHE. 



CAMBRIDGE, MASS., MARCH 1888. 



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CURIOUS PUPA OF PIERIS. 



Some time ago I found a pupa-skin of 

 Pieris rafae in the cell of a deserted nest of 

 the common paper-wasp {Polistes). It was 

 fastened into the cell by the end, in the usual 

 way, but I cannot be certain about the girdle ; 

 if there was any I failed to see it. This is 

 the only instance in which I know of this 

 species seeking such a place of concealment. 

 C: W: Woodzvorlk. 



PARASITES STINGING PUPAE OF 

 PIERIS RAPAE. 



In looking over the A}nerican entomologist 

 for iSSo, I came upon the following state- 

 ment, on page 126, — 



" Cabbage-worm parasite. — We notice 

 that correspondents of the agricultural and 

 horticultural press when referring to the 

 Pteromaltis puparuni, or imported cabbage- 

 worm parasite, generally state that the female 

 fly deposits her eggs in the pupa or chrysalis. 

 This, however, is incorrect, as any one can 

 discover by gathering some of the infested 

 full-grown caterpillars and placing them in a 

 close box to undergo their transformation." 



Unless the "Imported cabbage-worm" has 

 more than one parasite this is an incorrect 

 correction ! In the summer of 1883 great 

 nunibers of Pieris rtipae laid their eggs on 

 nasturtium {Tropaeolunt) lea\es by the side 



of our house. I watched the j'oung larvae 

 through all their changes, noted the great 

 number of tiny parasitic flies, and watched 

 the egg-laying of the latter. Many laid their 

 eggs in half-grown or fully grown larvae. 

 Many also punctured larvae which had sus- 

 pended for pupation, and as many laid their 

 eggs in the very fresh pupae, stinging them 

 usually between the abdominal segments. 

 I saw no parasite sting a pupa which was 

 more than an hour old, but that may have 

 been because it had been stung either as fresh 

 pupa or larva. 



Out of forty pupae which I watched, and 

 took down after they were a day old, I got 

 not one imago oi Pieris rapac, but plenty of 

 small flies. I am not sure of the name of 

 these flies, for I was not interested in the 

 parasites then, and took no pains to identify 

 them. 



That pupae are never stung by parasites 

 does not seem to be proved by the fact that 

 parasites will emerge from ''infested full- 

 grown caterpillars" which are taken and put 

 in a close box to undergo their transforma- 

 tion." Like so many disputed questions 

 both side are true, I did not know there was 

 any question about it until, in looking for 

 something else, I came upon this statement. 

 Caroline G. Soitle. 



EGG-LAYING OF LIMENITIS 

 DISIPPUS. 

 Miss Soule's note (Psyche v. 5, p. 14), 

 interested me very much. Riley records an 

 instance of three eggs laid on a single leaf, 

 but I have never seen so extreme a case, and 

 with hardly an exception have found the 

 eggs laid singly. Is Miss Soule confident 

 that the several eggs on a given leaf were all 

 laid by the same butterfly.' Was there any 

 disparity in the time of their hatching.' It 

 would be interesting to know Avhat difterence 

 there might be. In one instance where I saw 

 two eggs laid within five minutes of each 

 other, one hatched from eighteen to twenty 

 hours after the other. 



Sdinncl //. S( udder. 



