BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE GREEJST CLOVER WORM 



17 



DIPTEBA 



One male of Compsilura concinnata Meig. was reared from a Plathy- 

 . pena scabra jpupa, the larva of which was collected at Indian Orchard, 

 Mass., by D. A. Ricker. This tachinid was imported from Europe 

 to aid in controlling the gipsy and brown-tail moths in New England 

 and has proved a very effective enemy against them. It was first 

 introduced in 1906, but the most satisfactory colonies were planted 

 in 1909. It is known to parasitize a large number of hosts in Europe 

 and has already been reared from a number of native hosts. 



Exorista blanda O. S. is recorded by Chittenden {2) as having been 

 reared from the pupa of Plathypena scabra September 7, 1899. 



Exorista amplexa Coq. 9 was reared from this host at Hagerstown, 

 Md., by C. M. Packard in 1914. 



Hypochaeta eudryae Smith 10 was reared by the writer at Knoxville, 

 Tenn., in 1916. Those observed emerged from the larva stage of the 

 host and formed puparia about 5 millimeters long. 



Hypochaeta longicornis Schiner n was reared by W. R. McConnell at 

 Greenwood, Miss., September 9, 1913. 



Phorocera jlavicauda V. d. W. 12 was reared by E. H. Gibson at 

 Greenwood, Miss., in 1913 and by the writer at Knoxville. Tenn., 

 in 1916. 



Phorocera claripennis Macq. 11 was reared by 

 W. E. Pennington from a larva collected at 

 Hagerstown, Md. The host larva was collected 

 June 21, 1915; the dipterous puparium was formed 

 July 6; the dipteron adult emerged July 15. 



trichophora rujicauda V. d. W. 13 was more abun- 

 dant at Knoxville, Tenn., in 1916 than any other 

 parasite reared from Plathypena scabra. Speci- 

 mens of this tachinid were also reared by the writer 

 at Nashville, Tenn., in 1915; and by E. H. Gibson 

 at Greenwood, Miss., in 1913, F. M. Moody at 

 Charleston, Mo., and R. W. Leiby at Terra Ceia, 

 X. C. (10). The host caterpillars of specimens 

 reared at Knoxville each showed a dark spot 

 bearing a small round pore opening through the 

 skin and through which in some cases the move- 

 ments of the parasitic larva could be seen. On 

 the pupation oi the host this pore was retained and 

 enlarged, and usually occurred between the second 

 and fifth abdominal segments. The puparium as 

 a rule was left inside the pupal skin, filling all but the tip of the 

 abdomen. One which was protruding from the host when the 

 latter was in the prepupal stage is shown in Figure 15. 



Fig. 15.— Photograph show- 

 ing a puparium of Tricho- 

 phora ruficauda partially 

 protruding from its host, 

 a larva of the green clover 

 worm 



■ Determined by W. R. Walton. 



io Seven specimens determined by W. R. Walton. 



11 One specimen determined by W. R. Walton. 



" Four specimens from Tennessee determined by W. R. Wultou. 



u Sixteen specimens reared in Tennessee determined by W. R. Walton. 



