800 The Zoologist— June, 1867. 



Gawler, of a Stylops of the genus Xenos, being tbe first time that a Strepsipterous 

 insect had been detected in Australia. 



Mr. Frederick Smith had received from Mr. F. G. Waterhouse, of Adelaide, and 

 exhibited to tbe Meeting, specimens of Paragia decipiens, upon which the Xenos was 

 parasitic, and read the following note: — 



" In the Transactions of the Society (2nd series, vol. v., p. 127) will be found a 

 paper on the geographical distribution of the Stylopida; : it is there shown that aculeate 

 Hymenoptera from all quarters of the globe have been attacked by some members of 

 that parasitic family; it also appears to be proved that these attacks are most general 

 among the genera of the families of Fossores and Vespidffi. Among the Apids these 

 attacks are confined to the Halicti and Andrenidae; it is true that the genus Bombus 

 lias been mentioned as having been subject to attack, but this circumstance requires 

 confirmation. Numerous instances have been recorded of attacks on species of the 

 genera Sphex and Pelopaus, but they have been observed to occur most frequently 

 among the Vespidae. Stylopized Hymenoptera have been found in Europe, India, 

 China, Celebes, Mauritius, Gambia, Brazil, Chili, North America, and Canada, and a 

 single instance has been noticed in Tasmania, but at the time of the publication of 

 my paper (1859) no instance of attack had been discovered in Australia. A recent 

 communication from that country has been received by Mr. Waterhouse, announcing 

 the discovery of an hymenopterous insect attacked by one of the Stylopida:. The next 

 in question is the Paragia decipiens of Shuckard : it was taken by Mrs. Kreusler on the 

 Gawler River, Adelaide, South Australia : specimens of the wasp were forwarded by letter ; 

 the Stylops is described as having four-jointed furcate antennae, belonging probably 

 to the genus Xenos, or to a genus closely allied. This is, I believe, the first notice of 

 the capture of one of the Stylopida; in Australia. Of the four specimens of Paragia 

 sent, number one has the remains of a male pupa-case beueaih the third segment of 

 the abdomen; the second and third specimens are similarly attacked; the fourth 

 specimen h;is portions of two male pupa-cases beneath tbe third segment. It is rather 

 remarkable that no female Stylops is found, as in British Hymenoptera they are found 

 in the proportion of at least ten or twelve to one male.'' 



Professor Westwood mentioned that a Homopterous insect captured by Mr. 

 Wallace appeared to have upon it the remains of a Strepsipterous insect, and it would 

 be within tbe recollection of Members that Herr Nielner had found stylopized ants in 

 Ceylon. 



Pajnr read. 



Mr. Bates read a paper " On a Collection of Butterflies formed by Thomas Bell, 

 Esq., in the interior of the Province of Maranham, Brazil." During three mouths of 

 the year 1866 spent at the gold mines of Monies Aureos, Mr. Bell obtained no less 

 than 364 species of butterflies; of these nine were described as new, and the paper 

 contained some interesting observations on distribution, variation and mimicry. One 

 new genus was characterized under the name of Pseudophelcs, allied to Pheles and 

 Esthemopsis. 



New Part of Transactions.'' 



Trans. Ent. Soc., third series, vol. v., part 6, being the second part published in 

 1867, was on the table.—/. W. D. 



