﻿20 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  io3 
  

  

  impetus 
  to 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  biological 
  data, 
  and 
  the 
  material 
  at 
  my 
  

   disposal 
  has 
  also 
  permitted 
  morphological 
  studies 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  

   several 
  of 
  the 
  immature 
  stages. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  much 
  indebted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Henry 
  K. 
  Townes, 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Carolma 
  

   State 
  College 
  (in 
  absentia), 
  for 
  lending 
  specimens 
  of 
  Rhojyalosoma 
  

   and 
  for 
  supplying 
  collecting 
  records 
  and 
  giving 
  helpful 
  suggestions. 
  

   My 
  colleagues 
  Dr. 
  B. 
  D. 
  Burks, 
  K. 
  V. 
  Krombein, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  H. 
  

   Anderson 
  have 
  also 
  advised 
  me 
  generously. 
  David 
  G. 
  Shappirio, 
  of 
  

   Harvard 
  University, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  T. 
  H. 
  Hubbell, 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  

   Michigan, 
  have 
  kindly 
  supplied 
  data 
  on 
  parasitized 
  crickets 
  preserved 
  

   at 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Michigan 
  Museum 
  of 
  Zoology. 
  

  

  Biological 
  observations 
  

  

  The 
  larva 
  found 
  at 
  Falls 
  Church 
  ^ 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  fourth 
  instar, 
  attached 
  

   to 
  the 
  left 
  side 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  female 
  of 
  Hapithus 
  agitator 
  Uhler. 
  While 
  

   1 
  was 
  beating 
  deciduous 
  underbrush 
  for 
  psocids, 
  on 
  September 
  30, 
  

   1950, 
  the 
  cricket 
  was 
  knocked 
  into 
  a 
  collecting 
  umbrella. 
  The 
  left 
  

   hind 
  leg 
  was 
  held 
  at 
  an 
  unnatural 
  angle 
  with 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  the 
  cricket 
  

   was 
  rather 
  inactive 
  and 
  easily 
  picked 
  up. 
  Leaves 
  and 
  other 
  organic 
  

   material 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  jar 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  insect 
  was 
  placed, 
  but 
  the 
  

   cricket 
  was 
  not 
  seen 
  to 
  feed. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  it 
  scarcely 
  changed 
  its 
  

   position, 
  though 
  the 
  antennae 
  occasionally 
  moved. 
  Meanwhile, 
  the 
  

   ventral 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  remained 
  securely 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  

   cricket 
  and 
  no 
  movement 
  was 
  noticed. 
  A 
  7 
  p.m. 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  

   October 
  2 
  the 
  larva 
  was 
  beginning 
  to 
  shed 
  its 
  skin, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  integument 
  of 
  the 
  fifth 
  instar 
  where 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  instar 
  skin 
  had 
  split 
  lengthwise 
  along 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   dorsum. 
  The 
  cricket 
  had 
  then 
  lost 
  its 
  foothold 
  and 
  was 
  dying 
  on 
  its 
  

   side, 
  though 
  its 
  antennae 
  still 
  moved. 
  

  

  By 
  8 
  : 
  30 
  p.m. 
  the 
  larva 
  (which 
  was 
  entirely 
  white 
  except 
  for 
  traces 
  

   of 
  pale 
  brown 
  about 
  the 
  mandible) 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  dead 
  cricket 
  and 
  had 
  

   moved 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  so 
  away. 
  The 
  larva 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  pill 
  box 
  of 
  soil 
  

   where 
  it 
  gradually 
  darkened 
  to 
  a 
  creamy 
  yellow 
  color. 
  On 
  the 
  day 
  

   following 
  the 
  molt 
  the 
  larva 
  made 
  frequent 
  twisting 
  contractions 
  as 
  

   if 
  trying 
  to 
  burrow. 
  The 
  head 
  was 
  directed 
  downward 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   time 
  and 
  one 
  silk 
  strand 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  was 
  noticed. 
  The 
  

   larva 
  did 
  not 
  succeed 
  in 
  becoming 
  completely 
  covered 
  with 
  soil 
  ; 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  it 
  was 
  relatively 
  inactive, 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  uppermost 
  

  

  * 
  Generic 
  Identification 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  is 
  primarily 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  close 
  agreement 
  

   with 
  the 
  situation 
  reported 
  by 
  Hood 
  (1914). 
  It 
  may 
  eventually 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  

   one 
  nominal 
  form 
  of 
  Bhopalosoma 
  inhabits 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  that 
  some 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C., 
  are 
  distinct 
  from 
  R. 
  nearcticum, 
  the 
  type 
  locality 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  Kissimee, 
  Fla. 
  

  

  