NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Life history and habits. Adults of this species have been observed 

 ovipositing- on recently sawed spruce lumber, and l)r Hopkins states that it 

 attacks spruce, hemlock and tir. This is one of the more common of our 

 species in the eastern United States, though it is far from abundant and the 

 male appears to be quite rare. The adults are usually found during July 

 and August on the trunks of coniferous trees on bright days. The eggs 

 are deposited in the wood with the stout ovipositor, the insects apparently 

 preferring recently felled trees. The larvae run large burrows through the 

 trunks, often rendering them unfit for lumber. 



Distribution. This species has been recorded by Fabricius from both 



North and South America. It has in addition also been reported from the 



following localities: New England, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, 



Washington, Ottawa Can., Lake Winnipeg, Newfoundland and Northwest 



Territory. It has also been taken in England, probably carried there in 



infested lumber. Some allied species are regarded as destructive to pine 



forests in Germany, and reports of considerable injuries to conifer9us trees 



have been received from the Northwest Territory, though we believe that, 



as a rule, in this country comparatively little damage results from this 



insect's work. 



BibHography 



1897 Lintner, J. A. Ins. N. Y. T;,th Rep't, ]>. 338-40 



Banded horntail 



U roc cms abdouiinalis Harr. 



A large, black. 4-\vinged fly an inch long having some resemblance to a wasp, but 

 with a stout, cylindric body, attacks spruce. 



This species has smoky, transparent wings and its lar\ae have the gen- 

 eral character of other horntails. The different sexes of these insects vary 

 considerably, and it is possible that this species is the male of U r o c e r u s 

 a 1 b i c o r n i s Fabr. noticed above. 



