THE CONCHUELA. 



63 



history and habits treated of in connection with the description of 

 the species. 



The following table summarizes the data on parasitism by Teleno- 

 7nus asJimeadi obtained during the season of 1905: 



Table XXX. — Parasitism of eggs of the conchuela by Telenomus ashmeadi in 1905. 



When collected. 



Locality. 



Egg-batches. 



Number 

 collected 



Number 

 parasit- 

 ized. 



Eggs. 



Number. 



Per cent 



from which 



parasite 



emerged. 



Per cent 



from, which 



bugs 



hatched. 



1905. 



July 7 



July 12 



July 17 



August 11-12. 

 September 12. 



T lah ualilo , D uran go , Mexico 



do 



do 



Barstow, Tex 



do 



75 

 229 



181 

 246 



77.4 



75.0 



49 



22 



54 



Summary. 



36 



1,221 



a Fifty-one per cent contained parasites; 25 per cent failed to emerge. 



As stated by the writer in previous publications, the percentage of 

 eggs from which adult parasites emerge does not indicate necessarily 

 the number of bug 

 eggs which are ac- 

 tually prevented 

 from hatching by 

 these beneficial in- 

 sects. Both in the 

 laboratory and in 

 the field many par- 

 asites reach matu- 

 rity, but for some 

 unknown reason 

 fail to emerge. In 

 many cases the 

 parasites make 

 holes with their 

 mandibles in the 

 egg-shells of the 

 bugs in which they are incased, nearly large enough to permit of escape, 

 and then die, apparently becoming exhausted by their efforts. Other 

 eggs in parasitized batches fail to hatch, or produce adult parasites, 

 containing nothing but a shriveled, brownish, and structureless mass. 

 The failure of such eggs to produce nymphs seems to be usually due 

 to parasitism. Possibly in such cases the larva of the parasite died 

 soon after having accomplished the destruction of the host egg. The 

 table leaves unexplained the failure to hatch of about 30 per cent of 



Fig. 8. — Telenomus ashmeadi, an important egg parasite of Pentatoma 

 ligata: Adult female and antenna of male. Highly magnified. (Author's 

 illustration.) 



