48 



from a specimen of Frontina aycliippivora received from Mr. \x\\\ 

 Dino, whicli had been identified for liim l)y Mr. Coquilett of 

 Washington, D. C. Van Dine bred quite a series of these flies 

 frt)m the pupae of cabbage Initterflj^ {Pieris rapae) ; Mr. Terry 

 has also bred them from the same liost and from scotorythra rara. 

 I have l)rcd a few from Omiodes accepta, Spodoptera exigiia and 

 S. inauritia\ quite abmidantly from the Pahn leaf-roller {Omiodes 

 blackburnt) ; and large numlx'rs of them from cutworms: Agroiis 

 crinigera send Agrofis dislocata. In one lot of Leucania 7inipuiicta 

 caterpillars collected in sugar cane-fields at Pahala, Hawaii, 27% 

 were parasitized. In a lot of caterpillars of this same " army 

 worm" collected in cane-field at Naalehu, Hawaii, 33 3^5% were 

 parasitized ; in anothei- lot collected in cane-tield at Hamakua- 

 poko, Maui, 70% were parasitized by this Tachinid. I also bred 

 a lot of caterpillars of tlie Monarch butterfly i,A?iosia piexippus) 

 which were feeding on wild milk-weed in the pastures at Pahala, 

 Hawaii, and 21% of them were parasitized. I found 28% of the 

 caterpillars of another butterfly (^Vanessa cardiiii) collected near 

 Diamond Head, Oahu, to l)e parasitized l)y these flies. 



From the above it is seen that these flies are very abundant in 

 these islands, and are ol' valuable service in ciiecking many of the 

 destructive caterpillars. This species is very widely distributed 

 in the United States, wliere it is parasitic upon quite a large 

 numlier of species of cateri)illars. It was undoubtedly introckiced 

 from there, perhaps some\\hat recently, but the date is not 

 known . 



The eggs of these Tachinid Flies are deposited upon the living 

 caterpillars. They soon hatch and the young maggots enter the 

 body of the caterpillar and feed upon its juices. They 

 usually do not l)ecome ftill-grown until the caterpillar lias also 

 obtained its full-growth and ready to pupate; tlien the full-grown 

 maggots emerge from their dead host and form smooth dark 

 brown, rounded ol)long puparia in the ground. When parasitic 

 on the palm leaf-roller, I have often found the puparia formed 

 within the spun-together leaves where tiie caterpillars lived, in 

 one instance six in a single leaflet of coconut leaf. Sometimes the 

 host does not die till after pupation, and then the maggots soon 

 emerge as from the caterpillar. Apparently the rate of growth of 

 the host caterpillar has something to do with determining whether 

 the parasitic maggots emerge before the pupation of the host or 



