﻿24 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol.103 
  

  

  Regarding 
  habits 
  of 
  Rhopalosoma 
  adults, 
  Dr. 
  Townes 
  has 
  furnished 
  

   the 
  following 
  notes 
  : 
  "I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  adults 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  and 
  

   usually 
  was 
  fortunate 
  to 
  catch 
  them 
  when 
  seen. 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  that 
  

   in 
  the 
  Upper 
  and 
  Lower 
  Austral 
  Zones 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  States 
  they 
  

   are 
  widespread 
  and 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  habitat. 
  This 
  appears 
  

   (.0 
  be 
  places 
  of 
  dense, 
  shrubby 
  vegetation 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  

   humidity, 
  as 
  along 
  stream 
  bottoms 
  and 
  seashores, 
  or, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  

   the 
  same 
  sorts 
  of 
  places 
  where 
  Hapithus 
  and 
  Orochuris 
  abound. 
  The 
  

   adults 
  may 
  be 
  flushed 
  from 
  the 
  bushes. 
  They 
  fly 
  up 
  and 
  alight 
  again 
  

   like 
  an 
  ophionine 
  ichneumonid. 
  They 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  

   ophionines 
  in 
  flight 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  slightly 
  stockier 
  appearance. 
  At 
  Long 
  

   Beach, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  at 
  twilight 
  on 
  July 
  9, 
  1949, 
  I 
  saw 
  about 
  10 
  

   all 
  together 
  in 
  normal 
  flight, 
  cruising 
  in 
  a 
  rather 
  slow 
  but 
  erratic 
  

   manner 
  just 
  over 
  the 
  beach 
  shrubbery, 
  again 
  like 
  an 
  ophionine 
  ich- 
  

   neumonid 
  in 
  its 
  twilight 
  flight. 
  They 
  were 
  flying 
  until 
  no 
  longer 
  

   visible 
  in 
  the 
  gathering 
  dark. 
  I 
  could 
  catch 
  only 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  and 
  

   they 
  were 
  both 
  males." 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  collection 
  dates 
  accompanying 
  specimens 
  identified 
  

   as 
  Rhopalosoma 
  nearcticum 
  are 
  available 
  as 
  an 
  indication 
  of 
  when 
  

   adults 
  are 
  active 
  : 
  Maryland 
  : 
  Mayo 
  Beach, 
  September 
  14, 
  1947, 
  female 
  

   (Townes); 
  Berlin, 
  July 
  19, 
  1932, 
  female. 
  North 
  Carolina: 
  Long 
  

   Beach, 
  July 
  9, 
  1949, 
  two 
  males 
  (Townes) 
  ; 
  Wallace, 
  August 
  2, 
  1949, 
  

   female 
  (Townes). 
  South 
  Carolina: 
  Greenville, 
  September 
  2, 
  1940, 
  

   male 
  (H. 
  and 
  M. 
  Townes). 
  Georgia: 
  Stone 
  Mountain, 
  August 
  13, 
  

   1949, 
  female 
  (Fattig) 
  ; 
  Atlanta, 
  August 
  11, 
  1946, 
  female. 
  Florida 
  : 
  

   About 
  a 
  dozen 
  specimens, 
  essentially 
  all 
  reported 
  by 
  Brues 
  (1943), 
  

   ranging 
  from 
  June 
  9 
  to 
  August 
  13, 
  but 
  mostly 
  collected 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  

   July. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  foregoing 
  States, 
  nearcticum 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  Missouri 
  and 
  Kentucky 
  by 
  Krombein 
  (1951). 
  

  

  The 
  known 
  hosts 
  of 
  Rhopalosoma 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  are 
  Orocharis 
  

   saltator 
  Uhler 
  and 
  Hapithus 
  agitator 
  Uhler. 
  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  rec- 
  

   ords 
  of 
  parasitized 
  crickets 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Michigan 
  

   Museum 
  of 
  Zoology, 
  Hapithus 
  h'revipennis 
  Saussure 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   host 
  also. 
  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  0. 
  saltator, 
  as 
  stated 
  b}^ 
  Hebard 
  (1931, 
  

   p. 
  217) 
  , 
  covers 
  the 
  entire 
  southeastern 
  United 
  States, 
  extending 
  north- 
  

   ward 
  to 
  southeastern 
  Pennsylvania, 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  to 
  eastern 
  Texas 
  in 
  the 
  Southwest. 
  In 
  southern 
  Florida 
  a 
  

   primarily 
  West 
  Indian 
  species, 
  Orocharis 
  gryUodes 
  (Pallas) 
  , 
  occurs. 
  

   H. 
  agitator 
  occurs 
  as 
  far 
  northeast 
  as 
  Long 
  Island, 
  and 
  otherwise 
  is 
  

   largely 
  comparable 
  to 
  O. 
  saltator 
  in 
  distribution 
  (Blatchley, 
  1920, 
  

   p. 
  740; 
  Hebard, 
  1931, 
  1938; 
  Rehn 
  and 
  Hebard, 
  1916, 
  pp. 
  308-310). 
  

   Two 
  geographic 
  subspecies 
  are 
  recognized, 
  the 
  southeastern 
  one, 
  H. 
  

   agitator 
  quadratus 
  Scudder, 
  living 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  to 
  Browns- 
  

  

  