PARASITES OF GIPSY-MOTH PUPiE. 



241 



Chalcis minuta L. Parasite upon sarcophagids associated with the 

 gipsy moth in Europe. Since the status of the sarcophagids them- 

 selves remains to be determined, it is impossible to state that of the 

 Chalcis. It is believed that the sarcophagids are scavengers, and 

 neutral, in which case the Chalcis would also be neutral. 



Chalcis fonscolombei Duf. Also a parasite of sarcophagids asso- 

 ciated with the gipsy moth in Europe. 



Chalcis paraplesia Crawf. Parasite upon sarcophagids associated 

 with the gipsy moth in Japan. 



It is thus seen that the genus Chalcis is a little of everything in 

 its relations to the gipsy moth. Of the 8 species, 3 are enemies, 

 2 are friends, and 3 are undertaker's assistants. To round out the 

 series, one may expect to find a species attacking tachinids in Europe, 

 1 attacking the gipsy-moth pupae as a primary parasite, and another 

 attacking sarcophagid pup aria in America. 



So far as known tachinids are never attacked by the species which 

 prey upon the sarco- 

 phagids, although this 

 statement presup- 

 poses a discriminating 

 instinct which has 

 rarely been encoun- 

 tered among the par- 

 asites of the Diptera 

 generally. For the 

 most part, and in fact 

 with no other excep- 

 tion, so far as the ex- 

 periences of the lab- 

 oratory have gone, the 

 parasites which will 

 attack the one will attack the other family also. There are several 

 records, including that already mentioned which was made in 1905, 

 of the rearing of Chalcis from tachinid pup aria, but these have either 

 been made before a distinction was made between the puparia of 

 the two families, or else there have been a large number of mixed 

 tachinid puparia involved, and in such instances it is always possible 

 and usually the case that a few sarcophagids are present. 



As parasites of the gipsy-moth pupae, Chalcis flavipes and C. 

 obscurata are closely allied, and exceedingly similar in every respect. 

 Chalcis flavipes (figs. 44, 45) appears to be rather restricted in its 

 range in Europe and has never been received from any localities 

 outside of the watershed of the Mediterranean, if an exception is 

 made of the portion of southern France which drains into the Atlantic. 

 The Japanese C. obscurata (fig. 46) has been present in every ship- 

 62188°-- Bull. 91—12 16 



Fig. 44.— Chalcis flavipes: Adult. Enlarged. (From Howard.) 



