358 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Oct., '07 



in which it hibernates and in the following spring pupates. 

 Parasitism occurs only upon the larvae in the flower head, as 

 far as is known. The adults have been taken in copula June 

 6th at Corsicana, Texas. During June and the early part of 

 July the adults are mainly engaged in feeding upon the tender, 

 succulent terminal buds. The Sideranthus does not flower 

 much before the first of August, at which time oviposition 

 commences. The larvae enter the ground in August, Septem- 

 ber and October. In the spring of 1906, from material collec- 

 ted September 19, 1905, at Mexia, Texas, the following data 

 were obtained. L,arvae were found as late as July 2nd, while 

 the first pupa was obtained May 29th, and the first adult June 

 28th. On July 2nd there were found three larvae, one adult, 

 four teneral adults and three mature adults in cells. 



Parasites. 



Bracon mellitor Say, Bracon mellitor dorsator Say (det. by J. 

 C. Crawford). From the Mexia material, F. C. Pratt bred 

 one female of the typical red form, also one male, and one 

 female of the smaller dark form, September 20, 1905 ; one 

 typical female and one dark male, September 29, 1905. One 

 female was bred from Calvert material, September 23, by Mr. 

 Pratt. 



Associated Species. 



Lygranthcecia mortua Grote (det. by Dr. H. G. Dyar). A 

 large Noctuid occurs in large numbers in the heads of the 

 Sideranthus. The caterpillars generally clean out several 

 heads during their period of development, and in so doing kill 

 a large number of the Desmoris larvae. If any of these cater- 

 pillars are allowed to remain in the breeding cage they destroy 

 every weevil larva present. They enter the ground when full 

 grown and spin a very loose silken cocoon within their elon- 

 gate cell of earth and then pupate. Hibernation takes place 

 in this stage. The first moths were bred September 6, 1906, 

 from material collected September 19, 1905, at Mexia. 



Smicronyx tychioides L,ec. was bred from stem galls on dod- 

 der by A. C. Morgan and C. R. Jones at Victoria, Texas. The 

 galls were first collected August 1, 1906. The larvae when 



