240 PARASITES OF GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



THE GENUS CHALCIS. 



The first few boxes of parasite material which were received in 

 1905 produced among other things quite a large number of Chalcis, 

 a part of which issued from the pupse of the gipsy moth and a part 

 from dipterous pup aria, supposed at that time to be those of tachinid 

 parasites of the same host. All of them appeared to be of one species, 

 Chalcis flavipes, and on the supposition that those which appeared 

 to issue from the gipsy-moth pupae might actually have come from 

 tachinids which were inside, all were destroyed. 



In 1906 and 1907 very few Chalcis were received from any source 

 and there was no opportunity to determine the true host relations 

 of the European species. In 1908 a considerable shipment of gipsy- 

 moth pupse from Italy arrived in good condition for the first time 

 since 1905, and another shipment from Japan, also in good condition, 

 reached the laboratory almost coincidently. Both were soon found 

 to contain Chalcis in some numbers, and, as it soon developed, in 

 considerable variety. 



It is not necessary to go into any details as to the steps through 

 which it was finally decided that no less than six species of Chalcis 

 were present in these two shipments, of which two were easily sepa- 

 rable by conspicuous structural and color characters. The others 

 were more or less confusing to one who had only a few doubtfully 

 identified specimens in the collection, and little knowledge of what 

 were the characteristics of a species in the genus. 



With the assistance of biological and geographical characters, the 

 separation was finally effected, and the 6 have been since definitely 

 identified by Mr. Crawford, as below. To the list are added 2 more, 

 1 of which is Japanese and the other American, making a total of 

 8 in all that have been definitely associated with the one host. 



Chalcis flavipes Panz. Primary parasite of the gipsy moth in 

 Europe. 



Chalcis obscurata Walk. Primary parasite of the gipsy moth in 

 Japan. 



Chalcis callipus Kirby. Primary parasite of the gipsy moth in 

 Japan, according to rearing note attached to a specimen forwarded 

 to the laboratory through the kindness of Mr. Kuwana. 



Chalcis fiskei Crawf. Parasite of the tachinids Crossocosmia 

 sericarise and Tachina japonica in Japan, and thereby a secondary 

 parasite of the gipsy moth. 



Chalcis compsilurx Crawf. Parasite of Compsilura concinnata in 

 America, and therefore a secondary parasite of the gipsy moth. 

 ( Chalcis ovata Say has never been reared as a parasite of the gipsy 

 moth, although it is not improbable that it win be found to attack 

 it when the moth shall extend its range southward into territory 

 where the Chalcis is more common than it appears to be in eastern 

 Massachusetts.) 



