46 PARASITES OF GIPSY AND BROWN -TAIL MOTHS. 



the orange, Aleyrodes citri R. & H., and to attempt to find parasites 

 or satisfactory predatory enemies. In November, 1910, he found the 

 white fly at Saharampur, India, and discovered that it was killed by a 

 fungous disease (lately determined as a species already occurring in the 

 United States — JEgerita webberi — by Prof. H. S. Fawcett, of the Florida 

 Agricultural Experiment Station). He also found that it was at- 

 tacked by two species of Coccinellidse (Verania cardoni Weise and 

 Cryptognatha flavescens Motsch.). A preliminary shipment of the 

 ladybirds by mail was apparently unsuccessful. Later shipments by 

 direct steamer from Calcutta to Boston were also unsuccessful. 



At Lahore, India, Mr. Woglum found his first evidence of parasit- 

 ism by hymenopterous parasites. A certain proportion of Aleyrodes 

 citri was found to contain the exit holes of a true parasite. The 

 specimens on leaves sent in by Mr. Woglum were examined with 

 great care. None of the full-grown larvae or nymphs contained para- 

 sites, but five specimens of a very minute aphelinine of the genus 

 Prospaltella were found dead and attached to the orange leaves in 

 close vicinity to the perforated aleyrodids. The size of the specimens 

 was such as to justify the conclusion that they had issued from the 

 aleyrodids, and their juxtaposition and the known habits of the genus 

 confirm this conclusion. The species was described by the senior 

 author as Prospaltella lahorensis in the Journal of Economic Ento- 

 mology for February, 1911, pages 130-132. Efforts will be made to 

 import this parasite into Florida. 



The occurrence of a European weevil, Pliytonomus murinus Fab., 

 in the alfalfa fields of Utah in alarming numbers and the difficulty of 

 fighting the pest by mechanical or cultural means has started an in- 

 vestigation as to its parasites in its original home. Mr. W. F. Fiske, 

 of the Bureau of Entomology, sent from Naples, Italy, on March 17, 

 1911, a large lot of stems of alfalfa containing eggs of an allied weevil 

 parasitized by a minute mymarid, which at the time of this writing 

 are on their way to Utah. 



In the meantime the State board of horticulture of California has 

 been continuing its efforts to import beneficial insects of different 

 kinds. Mr. George Compere returned from a lengthy trip during the 

 summer of 1910, bringing with him a number of interesting species, 

 among them a new coccinellid enemy of mealy bugs in which he has 

 great faith, and which promises to be a valuable addition to the insect 

 fauna of the United States. 



Entomologists and horticulturists all over the world have become 

 greatly interested in this aspect of economic entomology and for the 

 immediate future a great deal of experimental work has been planned 

 by the officials of different countries. 



