N0TE8 ON THE CHALCll* PARASITES OE 

 MUSCOll) EEIES [N AUSTRALIA. 



By Prof. T. Harvey Johnston, M.A., D.Sc, aud M. J. 

 Bancroft, B.Sc, Walter and Eliza Hall Fellow in 

 Economic Biology, University, Brisbane. 



{Bead before the Royal Society of Queensland 2SthA2n-il, 1920). 



(Text-figures 1-7). 

 On account of the economic importance of Muscoid 

 flies, since they include not only the house fly or typhoid 

 fly but also most of the various sheep maggot flies or blow- 

 flies as well as the common " bush flies "' of Austraha, 

 considera])le attention has been given to the study of their 

 hymenopterous parasites, at least one of which has been 

 utilised in New South Wales and Queensland as an agent 

 to assist in controlling the spread of these Diptera. It 

 has also been suggested to the Federal authorities by an 

 eminent British entomologist that a number of species 

 might, with advantage, be introduced from England to 

 assist in this work. 



Mr. W. W. Froggatt has done a considerable amount 

 of work on fly parasites, having dealt Avith no less 

 than thi'ee, viz., Nasonia brevicornis, Chalets calliphorce 

 and Dirrhinus sarcophagoe, which destroy pupse of one or 

 more of the sheep maggot flies. 



In this paper we propose (1) to give om- own obser- 

 vations on two species, one of which is now recorded for the 

 first time as occurring in Australia ; (2) to briefly review the 

 work on the parasites recorded as being already present in 

 the continent ; and (3) to discuss the suggestion that 

 certain other wasps might be profitably introduced. 



The following five muscid-destroying chalcids are now 

 known to occur in Eastern Australia : (1) Sj^alangia mttscid- 

 aru)ii ; (2) Nasonia brevicornis ; (3) Chalcis calliphorce ; (4) 

 Dirrhinus sarcophagce ; (5) Pachycrepoideus dubius. The first, - 

 second and fifth belong to the Pteromalidse and to the 

 subfamilies Spalangiince, Pteromalina?, and Sphegigasterinae- 



