THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



87 



The American Procris, though the fact is not mentioned by other 

 authors, is subject to the attack of at least one parasite, with us ; 

 for I have bred from it a very peculiar little four-winged black fly 

 belonging to the great Chalcis family, and which Mr. Cresson of Phil- 

 adelphia refers doubtingly to Perilampus platygaster, Say. 



. THE NEW GRAPE-ROOT BORER. 



Under this head I published last year* an account of a gigantic 

 Grape-root borer which had at that time not been bred, and of which, 

 in consequence, the perfect insect was not with certain ly known. In 

 [Fig. 60.] _^^_ order that the 



|reader may get 

 well familiarized 

 with its appear- 

 ance, the figure is 

 here reproduced 

 (Fig. 60 ). For 

 reasons then given I inferred that this borer belonged to the Prionus 

 family of the Long-horned beetles, and that it would perhaps produce 

 the Cylindrical Orthosoma {Orthosoma cylindricum, ¥&br.), a large 

 flattened bay-colored beetle which is common throughout the coun- 

 try, and especially so in the Mississippi Valley, and which I illus- 

 trated at the time. I expressed the hope to be able another year 

 to settle this matter, and am glad to be able to do so. 



Last July I bred from worms that had been sent to me the year 

 before, as occurring in Grape root, a different, though very closely 

 allied species to that which I had inferred they would produce, 

 namely, 



THE BROAD-NECKED PRIOftUS— Prionus laticollis, Drury. 

 (Coleoptera, Prionidae.) 



This species is usually of a darker color 

 than the Cylindrical Orthosoma, and differs 

 materially from that species by its larger 

 size and broader form. The female, which is 

 represented at Figure 61, differs from the male 

 in having shorter and narrower antennae, 

 though her body is usually larger. 



In all probability this insect lives nearly 

 three years in the larva state, for three dis- 

 tinct sizes may be found. Those I have bred ? 

 left the roots they were inhabiting when about 

 to become pupas, and formed for themselves 

 smooth oval chambers in the earth wherein 

 they eventually cast their larval skins, and 



[Fig. 61.] 



*First Rep., pp. 124- 



