BY T. HARVEY JOHNSTON AND M. J, BANCROFT. 2^ 



Girauit (1013, ]). 307) wlio found it in Brisbane in ( )ctober, 

 li)ll. and subsequently reported it (191"), ]>. 31(5) a^ liaving 

 been bred in October, 1913, by Mr. E. Jarvis. lr(»in the 

 sheeji maggot fly at Longreach and Arainae in \\'c>tei-u 

 Queensland. Jarvis (1013, p. 15) gave a ])r!ef account of. 

 the })arasite, but did not identify it. 



Froggatt (1914, p. 110) called attention to the presence 

 in Xew South Wales of these active ant-like wasps (which 

 he then believed belonged to a native species), parasitising^ 

 certain blowflies, CalUphora villosa and C. oceanice {i.e., 

 Neopollenia slygia and Anastellorhina avgur respectively), 

 as well as the prevalent " sheep maggot fly "" C rufifacies. 

 The parasite (evidently a female) was figured and a short 

 account of its habits published. Later in the same year 

 he and McCarthy (1914), reported the chalcid to ])e X. 

 brevicoriiis which was stated to attack particularly those 

 blowflies which possessed smooth thin-skinned pupa?, G. 

 villosa. C. oceanice and C erythrocephala , only infesting the 

 stoutly-spined pupse of (\ rufifacies when the former were 

 not available. A detailed account of the breeding habits 

 was given (see also Froggatt, 1915 ; Froggatt and Froggatt, 

 1916, 1917. 1918 — also quoted at length by Graham- Smith, 

 19 IG, p. 534, 536-7). Figures of both sexes as well as a short 

 account of the breeding habits have been published recentlv 

 by Graham-Smith (1919, p. 372-4, figs. 14, 15). 



The Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry 

 has been engaged in rearing this chalcid species near Roma, 

 Queensland, and distributing it where desired in order to 

 control the "sheep bloAvfly " pest. 



We have Ijred oi;t numbers from pupa^ forw arded from 

 Roma by Mr. F. H. Taylor. The maximum number 

 obtained by us from any one blowfly pupa was 18. Froggatt 

 arid McCarthy (1914, p. 763) reported finding as many as 

 75 and as few as two, the usual number being between 25 

 and 36 per pupa. We found that Nasonia \\\\\ parasitise 

 Musca domeslica, M. vehistissima, M. hilli and M. terrce- 

 regince as well as the blowflies already mentioned. We have 

 not yet tested its action regarding other Muscoid flies, 

 Froggatt and Froggatt (1917, p. 29), stated that in their 



