488 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Icerya, as tlie female scales from wliicli tliey escaped were found each 

 with a small round hole in its back. 



This little parasite (Plate III, Fig. 1) is prettily marked with black 

 and yellow. It is new to our fauna and may have been imported with 

 its host. We turned it over to Mr. Howard for study, and as ho finds 

 it necessary to erect a new genus for it, we append his generic and 

 specific characterizations : 



IsODROMUS n. g., Howard. 



Female. — The antennae arise near the border of the mouth; the scape is not 

 widened; the pedicelis much longer than the first funicle joint ; the funicle joints 

 increase sUghtly in length from 1 to 6 and considerably in width, so that joint G is 

 more than twice as wide as joint 1; the club is half as long as the funicle and is ob- 

 liquely truncate from base to tip. Tiie head is thin antero-posteriorly; tlie facial 

 impression is slight; the inner borders of the eyes are nearly parallel; the ocelli are 

 placed at the corners of a right-angled triangle. The scapulae meet on a long line 

 at middle. The bind femora have a very dehcate longitudinal furrow below. The 

 marginal vein of the fore wings is entirely wanting; the stigmal is moderately long 

 and bends abruptly downward, forming at first a right angle with the submarginal, 

 afterwards curving slightly outwards; the postmarginal is absent. The large meso- 

 pleura are covered with a number of longitudinal ridges. 



Male unknown. 



This genus belongs to the Encyrtinoe, and is more closely related 

 to Homalotylus than to any other described genus. Its structural 

 affinity to this genus is quite marked, but it is well separated by the 

 characters italicized above. It differs in habit also, as Homalotylus 

 is parasitic upon coleopterous larvae of the families Coccinellidae and 

 ChrysomelidsB. 



IsODROMUS ICERY^, n. sp., Howard, 



Female. — Length S.S'"'"; expanse 4.2™™; greatest width of fore wing 0.7'""'. Head 

 and thorax nearly smooth ; head very delicately punctured and furnished with a 

 very few larger impressions. Pronotum and mesonotum very delicately sha- 

 greened; mesoscutum and hind border of pronotum with a number of closely ap- 

 plied wliite hairs. The general color is shinmg black; all of the head except eyes 

 and an occipital black blotch, the hind border of both pronotum and mesoscutum, 

 all of the tegulse except tip, a blotch each side of the mesoscutellum and one at tip, 

 the under side of thorax and base of the abdomen, the upper side of the fii-st abdom- 

 inal joint, and a small spot at the abdominal spii-acles, yellow. The yellow of the 

 head is nearly orange, while the rest is more of a lemon. The antenna? are honey- 

 yellow throughout, becommg dusky towards tip. AU the legs, mcluding coxae, 

 are yellow; hind femora dark above, black at knees; hind tibiae with two black 

 bands. Wings clear. Described from 3 specimens. 



REMEDIES AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 



9 



We have indicated in the introduction to this report the more im- 

 portant results of the experiments carried on at Los Angeles by 

 Messrs. Coquillett and Koebele, and as their reports are later given 

 in full we shall refrain from entering into detail here, and state only 

 a few of the more important convictions that impressed us after the 

 first week's experience in the orange groves of California. 



Importation of Parasites. — The general importance of the in- 

 troduction of parasites which affect a species in its native land, and 

 which have not accompanied it into the land of its introduction, has 

 been insisted on in our earlier writings and in those of others, and 

 the ease with which this may be done in the case of the more minute 

 parasites of scale insects adds to its importance in their connec- 

 tion. Considering the fearful losses already occasioned to California 



