282 [May, 



Phora rufipes. — This little fly is found everywhere, and appears to feed on 

 everything, both animal and vegetable. A correspondent sent me some from Chester, 

 where he had bred several from a beetle (Rhizotrogus solstitialis). 



I have taken a number of Acalypterate Muscidce at Epping Forest, Wimbledon, 

 and Coombe Wood (the only three places I have collected at this year, with the ex- 

 ception of a day at Hastings), but have not yet had time to examine them. 



Lepidopterists could greatly assist those working at the Diptera by pinning the 

 parasites on moths. They are chiefly Tachinidce, and this is a group that is far 

 from well known. 



The absence of typical collections from most of the local Museums is a great 

 drawback to the student, but it is to be hoped that before long this obstacle will be 

 removed. I shall be most happy to assist any one working at this Order, and shall 

 be pleased to examine small collections, as the distribution of the species is of 

 interest to me.— E. Brunetti, 129, Grrosvenor Park, Camberwell, S.E. : March, 1889. 



A parasite on Forficula. — On crushing an earwig in the summer, I was surprised 

 to see a larva of some kind issue from the body. It was a fleshy, apodal grub, of a 

 yellowish-white colour, with two intensely black prominences at the posterior ex- 

 tremity of the body, in the shape of truncated cones. A small black object was also 

 visible near the anterior extremity, but ill-defined, in consequence of lying at a lower 

 level than the fleshy folds of the body round it. This I take to be mouth organs of 

 some sort. I do not remember to have seen any record of internal parasites of 

 earwigs, and therefore send this notice, in the hope that some entomologist who has 

 studied such parasites may be able to throw some light on its nature. — E. A. Btjtler, 

 Ashley Eoad, Crouch Hill, N. : April, 1889. 



[We find the following references to insect-parasites in Forficula. In West- 

 wood's " Introduction," i, p. 404, it is stated, " These insects are subject to parasites ; 

 Mr. Davis having informed me that F. auricularia is attacked by one of the Ichneu- 

 monida." In Fischer's " Orthoptera Europsea," p. 45, we read, " Boheman e 

 Forficula auricularia, cujus abdomen inconsueto modo tumid um erat, inter thoracem 

 et abdomen pupam magnam ovalem fuscam insecti Dipteri protrudi observavit, e qua 

 mense majo Tachina setipennis exclusa est." Mr. Butler forwarded a sketch of his 

 larva, which may possibly be that of a Tachina. We shall be glad for any more 

 precise or recent information on parasites on earwigs.- — Eds.]. 



Apanteles hoplites, Htzb., in Britain. — A female of this parasite was bred by 

 Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher from the larvse of Qelechia populella in 1885. I had 

 overlooked it, and mixed it up with some Microgaster tibialis bred from the same 

 host at the same time ; it is a very distinct species, and easy to be recognised. Its 

 place in the Kev. T. A. Marshall's Monograph of the British Braconidce (Trans. 

 Ent. Soc, 1885) is next to 30. A.fulcatus, Ns.,and in the table p. 160 is as follows: 

 (11) 10 Squamulse testaceous. 



* Stigma entirely dark ; aculeus of female shorter than the abdomen .. 



falcatus, Nees. 



** Stigma pale at the base ; aculeus of female as long as the abdomen .. 



hoplites, Rtzb. 



It is interesting to note that Batzeburg bred the species from the same host. — 



John B. Bridgman, Norwich : April, 1889. 



