﻿CRICKET 
  PARASITE 
  — 
  GURNEY 
  21 
  

  

  and 
  showing 
  occasional 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  parts. 
  By 
  the 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  October 
  5, 
  it 
  was 
  decidedly 
  quiescent 
  and 
  evidently 
  dying, 
  and 
  

   by 
  noon 
  it 
  had 
  died 
  and 
  so 
  was 
  preserved 
  in 
  alcohol 
  (pi. 
  1). 
  If 
  

   several 
  inches 
  of 
  fine 
  sand 
  had 
  been 
  provided 
  instead 
  of 
  heavy 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  loam, 
  perhaps 
  the 
  insect 
  w^ould 
  have 
  entered 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  suc- 
  

   cessfully 
  spun 
  a 
  cocoon. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  larva 
  was 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  cricket 
  on 
  the 
  membrane 
  

   between 
  the 
  terga 
  and 
  sterna 
  of 
  abdominal 
  segments 
  1 
  to 
  &. 
  After 
  

   the 
  fifth 
  instar 
  had 
  left, 
  the 
  cricket 
  (pi. 
  1) 
  bore 
  three 
  exuviae 
  

   visible 
  from 
  above, 
  representing 
  the 
  second, 
  third, 
  and 
  fourth 
  instars. 
  

   In 
  each 
  the 
  head 
  was 
  directed 
  posteriorly 
  and 
  located 
  farther 
  posteri- 
  

   orly 
  on 
  the 
  cricket 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  instar. 
  The 
  strongest 
  

   single 
  point 
  of 
  larval 
  attachment 
  was 
  apparently 
  just 
  anterior 
  to 
  the 
  

   parasite's 
  modified 
  anus 
  ; 
  there 
  the 
  attachment 
  was 
  quite 
  secure. 
  The 
  

   larval 
  body 
  was 
  noticeably 
  curled, 
  but 
  the 
  entire 
  ventral 
  surface 
  was 
  

   closely 
  appressed 
  to 
  the 
  cricket. 
  The 
  exuviae 
  of 
  larval 
  instar 
  1 
  was 
  

   situated 
  transversely 
  on 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  cricket, 
  in 
  a 
  groove 
  

   just 
  behind 
  the 
  left 
  hind 
  coxa. 
  The 
  head 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  directed 
  

   mesally 
  on 
  the 
  cricket 
  and 
  extended 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  sternal 
  plate 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  abdominal 
  segment, 
  while 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  was 
  beneath 
  the 
  ends 
  

   of 
  succeeding 
  exuviae. 
  Remnants 
  of 
  the 
  eggshell 
  occurred 
  with 
  the 
  

   exuviae 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  instar. 
  On 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  cricket, 
  in 
  part 
  be- 
  

   neath 
  the 
  cast 
  skins 
  and 
  also 
  directly 
  adjacent 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  extending 
  

   briefly 
  onto 
  the 
  left 
  tegmen 
  (front 
  wing), 
  was 
  an 
  accumulation 
  of 
  

   dried 
  mucus 
  or 
  similar 
  material. 
  This 
  was 
  scalelike 
  in 
  appearance 
  

   and 
  I 
  first 
  mistook 
  it 
  for 
  exuviae. 
  The 
  larval 
  head 
  was 
  not 
  inserted 
  

   through 
  the 
  cricket's 
  body 
  wall, 
  nor 
  was 
  there 
  any 
  definite 
  opening, 
  

   but 
  the 
  membrane 
  where 
  the 
  last 
  feeding 
  mandibles 
  (fourth 
  instar) 
  

   were 
  applied 
  showed 
  signs 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  pierced. 
  The 
  points 
  of 
  

   contact 
  for 
  the 
  mandibles 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  instars 
  were 
  covered 
  

   with 
  the 
  exuviae 
  of 
  later 
  instars. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  larva 
  of 
  RJiopalosom-a 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum 
  was 
  

   collected 
  on 
  a 
  last 
  instar 
  male 
  nymph 
  of 
  Hapithus 
  sp. 
  at 
  Marietta, 
  Ga., 
  

   August 
  9, 
  1947. 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  fifth 
  instar, 
  though 
  it 
  probably 
  

   was 
  captured 
  in 
  an 
  earlier 
  stage 
  since 
  the 
  host 
  cricket 
  is 
  also 
  preserved. 
  

   The 
  exuviae 
  which 
  were 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cricket 
  agree 
  

   with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Falls 
  Church 
  specimen 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  noted. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  larA^a 
  of 
  Ehopalosoina 
  examined 
  (fig. 
  9, 
  e, 
  f) 
  was 
  preserved 
  

   in 
  the 
  fourth 
  instar 
  after 
  having 
  been 
  collected 
  on 
  an 
  adult 
  female 
  of 
  

   Hapithus 
  agitator 
  at 
  Fuguay, 
  N. 
  C, 
  September 
  12, 
  1950, 
  by 
  Townes, 
  

   Rabb, 
  and 
  Howden 
  (North 
  Carolina 
  State 
  College 
  collection) 
  (pi. 
  1). 
  

   The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  final 
  feeding 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  cricket's 
  

   fifth 
  abdominal 
  segment, 
  with 
  the 
  mandibles 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   brane 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  spiracle 
  and 
  nearer 
  the 
  tergum 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  