﻿SOLITARY 
  WASP 
  — 
  REINHARD. 
  375 
  

  

  nervated 
  by 
  the 
  brain, 
  or, 
  more 
  properly, 
  by 
  the 
  suboesophageal 
  

   ganglion, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  affected 
  by 
  its 
  lesion. 
  The 
  

   postmortem 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  readily 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  thorax, 
  and 
  thoracic 
  

   appendages 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  special 
  ganglia 
  which 
  may, 
  even 
  for 
  

   a 
  short 
  while 
  after 
  the 
  brain 
  is 
  destroyed, 
  still 
  perform 
  their 
  func- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  stimulation, 
  though 
  no 
  longer 
  of 
  coordination. 
  The 
  legs 
  

   and 
  abdomen 
  quiver 
  actively 
  at 
  first, 
  but 
  the 
  movements 
  gradually 
  

   grow 
  feebler 
  and 
  cease 
  altogether 
  after 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  hours. 
  Then 
  

   complete 
  immobility 
  ensues. 
  Electric 
  and 
  chemical 
  stimulation 
  

   bring 
  no 
  response. 
  Soon 
  comes 
  desiccation 
  and 
  decay. 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  ENEMIES. 
  

  

  No 
  wasp's 
  history 
  could 
  be 
  called 
  complete 
  without 
  mentioning 
  the 
  

   concomitant 
  ravages 
  of 
  those 
  professional 
  parasites, 
  the 
  Tachinids. 
  

   The 
  persecutor 
  of 
  Philanthus 
  is 
  a 
  dapper 
  little 
  fly, 
  clad 
  in 
  pearl 
  gray 
  

   with 
  markings 
  of 
  rich 
  seal-brown. 
  Her 
  eyes, 
  red 
  as 
  gobs 
  of 
  clotted 
  

   blood, 
  border 
  a 
  silvery 
  face; 
  hence 
  she 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  record 
  as 
  Metopia 
  

   leucocephala 
  Rossi 
  (det. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  M. 
  Aldrich). 
  Daily 
  during 
  July 
  and 
  

   early 
  August 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  white-faced 
  flies 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  poking 
  

   around 
  from 
  burrow 
  to 
  burrow 
  in 
  the 
  populous 
  colony 
  of 
  Philan- 
  

   thus. 
  An 
  open 
  tunnel 
  suits 
  the 
  parasite's 
  designs. 
  With 
  gingerly 
  

   haste 
  she 
  steps 
  just 
  inside 
  the 
  threshold, 
  pauses 
  a 
  moment, 
  then 
  scur- 
  

   ries 
  out 
  and 
  makes 
  off. 
  Never 
  was 
  she 
  seen 
  to 
  enter 
  a 
  burrow 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  inches. 
  Since 
  the 
  hoary-headed 
  Metopia 
  is 
  vivipa- 
  

   rous, 
  I 
  presume 
  that 
  she 
  releases 
  several 
  live 
  maggots 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  

   to 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  unaided 
  into 
  the 
  cells 
  of 
  the 
  wasp. 
  

  

  Another 
  intruder 
  in 
  the 
  burrows 
  of 
  Philanthus 
  is 
  Senotainia 
  tri- 
  

   liniata 
  Van 
  der 
  Wulp 
  (det. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  M. 
  Aldrich), 
  of 
  smaller 
  form 
  than 
  

   Metopia 
  but 
  no 
  less 
  destructive. 
  On 
  July 
  22 
  two 
  brood 
  chambers 
  of 
  

   Philanthus 
  were 
  discovered 
  which 
  were 
  parasitized 
  by 
  two 
  maggots 
  

   apiece. 
  The 
  marauders 
  were 
  feasting 
  on 
  the 
  store 
  of 
  bees, 
  and 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  wasp's 
  larva 
  or 
  egg. 
  These 
  maggots 
  formed 
  

   puparia 
  within 
  two 
  days, 
  and 
  the 
  adult 
  Senotainiae 
  emerged, 
  one 
  on 
  

   August 
  9 
  and 
  three 
  on 
  August 
  10. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  wasp 
  also 
  falls 
  a 
  victim 
  to 
  predatory 
  enemies. 
  A 
  female 
  

   Philanthus 
  was 
  found 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  florets 
  of 
  goldenrod 
  with 
  a 
  yel- 
  

   low 
  spider 
  (Misumena 
  vatia) 
  sucking 
  at 
  her 
  abdomen. 
  

  

  At 
  Fordham 
  University, 
  during 
  August, 
  1923, 
  after 
  the 
  foregoing 
  

   notes 
  were 
  completed, 
  I 
  observed 
  another 
  enemy 
  of 
  Philanthus. 
  The 
  

   incident 
  occurred 
  in 
  a 
  colony 
  of 
  P. 
  gibbosus 
  that 
  had 
  settled 
  in 
  a 
  

   characteristic 
  nesting 
  site 
  under 
  the 
  brick 
  pavement 
  of 
  an 
  open 
  auto 
  

   shed 
  adjoining 
  the 
  Fordham 
  faculty 
  building. 
  A 
  large 
  brown 
  Asilid 
  

   had 
  discovered 
  that 
  this 
  Philanthus 
  colony 
  was 
  a 
  profitable 
  spot 
  for 
  

  

  