46 



Hawaiian Islands by Mr. Koebele, in 1895, from Japan, and in 

 1896 from China. It quickly became established, and is now 

 abundant thruout the group. It is a very valuable parasite upon 

 Pyralids and some other moths. I have bred it from the pupae 

 of the following moths, in most ca.ses quite abundantly: sugar 

 cane leaf-roller {Omiodes accepta), palm leaf- roller [O. blackbur?ii), 

 Pklyctaenia desp^cta, P. stellata, P. nigrescens, Cacoecia (two 

 ^^iii\ki^) , Plusia chalcites, Sida tortrix and Koa tortrix. They 

 are always conmion in sugar cane fields where the cane leaf- rollers 

 are abundant, and render good assistance in checking this p^st. 

 They are even more abundant on the palm leaf-roller. 



Life History 



This parasite attacks the pupa (ptTJiaps the larva as well some- 

 times) of its host. I have often found the cocoons of its hosts 

 with a hole gnawed in the enclosing leaf, and a puncture in 

 the enclosed pupa where the parasite has inserted an egg. From 

 these I have subsequently reared the adult parasite. The length 

 of larval stage is as yet undetermined. It pupates inside the host 

 pupa, Avithout forming a coc<jon; in alxjut 9 days it emerges as 

 an adult by gnawing a roundish hole usually towards the anterior 

 part of the host pupa. There is great variation in size of adults 

 of this species, depending on what its host has been. Those I 

 have reared from the Sida tortrix were quite minute compared 

 with large ones reared from Plusia citalcites and Omiodes black- 

 burni, which are much larger hosts. I never have reared more 

 than one from a single pupa, tho some of the larger pupae wouM 

 furnish fooil enough for more than one i)arasite. 



Trichogramvia pretiosa, Riley. 



" Length about 0.3 mm. Yellow, the eyes red, the wings hyaline. 

 Head wider than the thorax ; antennae 5-jointed, joints 3 and 4 in the 9 

 forming an ovate mass and together shorter than joint 2 ; joint 5 large, 

 thickened and very obliquely truncate ; in the $ joints 3, 4 and 5 form 

 a more or less distinct, elongate club, beset with long bristles. Hairs of 

 the wings arranged in about fifteen lines. Abdomen not so wide as the 

 thorax, but as long as the head and thorax together; in the 9 the sides 

 subparallel, apical joint suddenly narrowed to a point." [Rilev, Can. 

 Ent. XL p. 16L 1879.] 



