\ul. XXvi] ENTUMULOGICAI. NEWS. 12/ 



These Iowa specimens of Chrysobothris average a little lar- 

 ger and the elytral foveae are more distinctly brofi|cd or metal- 

 lic than those from New York and MasMcfautetts in Profes- 

 sor H. F. Wickham's collection. 



There are. perhaps, two thiiM;8 of particular interest in re- 

 ffard to this experiment : first, tne great number of Lepturges 

 qurrci secured from a comparatively small number of twigs 

 indicates a very high degree of infestatioa; second, in the 

 rather limited number of Chrytobotkrit asurea obtained the 

 males averaged a little earlier in emergence than the fcnalet. 

 This is. however, not an imusual occurrence among other spe- 

 cies of Coleoptera. I belio'e also that H'istaria chinmsis has 

 not been recorded as a host plant for either of these wgtedt* 

 of beetles. 



I am indebted to Professor H. F. Wickham for the deter- 

 mination of the Chrysobothris and to Professor R. B. WyKe 

 for the determination of the IVisfaria. 



Fragments on North American Insects — VIII. 

 By A. A. GiKAULT, U. S. National .Museum. Washington. D. C. 



Difference in HaMt as a Basia for Specific DMIirwKiatlon, 

 I have noticed a tendency lately with entomologists and 

 others to make a difference in habit coe(]ual with a difference 

 in structure and coloration as regards species. My attentkm 

 was drawn again to this matter by casually noticing that Pierce, 

 Cttshman. Hood and Hunter (Bull. No. too. Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 

 p. 53. footnote. igi2) separate a braconid into two species — 

 ^ficrobracon dorsata and mrOiiar of 5>ay^-on the basis of a 

 difference in social habit. They admit the two are alike struc- 

 turally; in habit they differ in that meititor is parasitic upon 

 coleopterous larvae and solitary, while dorsata is parasitic 

 ufiuti Icpidopterous larvae and gregarious. To my mind the 

 separation has no reason for being. From a practical stand- 

 fv ' * r.pose that an exploring party captured a number of 

 i; ic and turned them over to some Hymenoptcrulugist 



