37 



over-balance the prolificness of the pest, even tho they do kill 

 such high percentages of them at times. Since so many are killed 

 by parasites, and yet there are enough left to do consideral)le 

 injury at times, one can not help but wonder to what extent these 

 pests might increase were there no parasites preying on them, and 

 how many times more serious would be the damage done by them. 

 The extreme difficulty and impracticability of treating sugar cane 

 fields, or large palm trees, artifically, for the destruction of these 

 pests, makes it all the more important that there are so many 

 valuable parasites preying upon them; and shows the value of 

 introducing natural enemies to control a pest, for the four best 

 parasites of these leaf-rollers are introduced species, viz., Macro- 

 dyctium omiodivornm , Chalet's obsniraia, Frojitina archippivoj-a 

 and Trichogramvia pretiosa. 



Macrodycthim omiodivornm w. sp.* Omiodes Braconid (Plate V, 



fig. 1). 



« 



" Female: — Length 2-3.5 mm.; pale ochraceous with blackish areas, 

 head and thorax often darker, rather pubescent. Head transverse, pale 

 ochraceous; ocelli enclosed in'a black area, which sometimes extends 

 forward to the bases of the antennae; occipital area black. Antennae 

 about equal in length to the entire insect, dark fuscous, paler at base, 

 the scape sub-globose, not larger than the first joint of the flagellum, 

 pedicel about as long as thick; number of joints variable, 26-28. Thorax 

 finely punctate, pubescent, ferrugino-ochraceous or blackish, discal area 

 often with a median blackish area produced to the thoracic foramen ; 

 parapsidal furrows not very distinct, very slightly convergent posteriorly. 

 Meso- and metapleura ferruginous or blackish ; metanotum, pre-scutellar 

 suture, posterior margin of scutellum, post-scutellum and humeri blackish 

 or even pitchy. 



Abdomen ovate, rather convex, pale ochraceous; first segment trap- 

 ezoidal, deeply impressed, raised laterally, with a median blackish area ; 

 the remaining segments smooth, except the second which has a small 

 median tubercle basally, which is infuscate ; each of the third, fourth 

 and fifth segments has a median dark fuscous or blackish patch, the 

 whole forming a large sub-quadrate area on the dorsum. Terebral 

 sheaths short, less than one half the length of the abdomen, dark fuscous, 

 pubescent. Legs moderately stout, pubescent, unicolorous, pale ochra- 

 ceous, except the apex of the terminal tarsal joint and claws which are 

 blackish ; tibial spurs not large. Wings smoky, veins, costa and stigma 



Description by F. W. Terry. 



