﻿INTRODUCING 
  SCOLIID 
  WASPS 
  FROM 
  MADAGASCAR 
  TO 
  MAURITIUS. 
  253 
  

  

  simiar 
  and 
  0. 
  ranavalo. 
  It 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  by 
  us 
  either 
  at 
  

   Ste 
  Marie 
  (where 
  according 
  to 
  Coquerel 
  it 
  was 
  plentiful) 
  or 
  at 
  Tamatave. 
  

  

  Campsomeris 
  (Liacus) 
  nigrita, 
  F. 
  

  

  Only 
  two 
  females 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  captured, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Ste 
  Marie. 
  

  

  Scolia 
  caffra, 
  Sauss. 
  

  

  Three 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  Tamatave, 
  at 
  Anamalotreta 
  on 
  

   mandarin 
  orange 
  trees. 
  

  

  Scolia 
  madecassa, 
  Sauss. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  by 
  us 
  either 
  at 
  Ste 
  Marie 
  or 
  at 
  Tamatave. 
  Judging 
  

   from 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  

   Academia 
  Malgache 
  in 
  Tananarive 
  and 
  labelled 
  " 
  Emyrne," 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  this 
  

   species 
  must 
  be 
  extremely 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  central 
  plateau, 
  where 
  it 
  probably 
  parasitises 
  

   some 
  Lamellicorn 
  beetle 
  that 
  lives 
  in 
  marshy 
  soil. 
  

  

  Scolia 
  iridicolor, 
  Smith. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  commonest 
  of 
  the 
  Scoliids 
  found 
  in 
  Ste 
  Marie, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  relatively 
  rare 
  in 
  

   Tamatave. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  natural 
  enemy 
  

   of 
  Rhisoplatys 
  bitubercidatus 
  or 
  of 
  Doryscelis 
  calcarata, 
  since 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  

   Lamellicorn 
  beetles 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  ones 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  locality 
  where 
  this 
  wasp 
  

   was 
  observed 
  in 
  numbers. 
  

  

  Elis 
  romandi, 
  Sauss. 
  

  

  The 
  female 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  slightly 
  larger 
  than 
  Scolia 
  oryctophaga 
  (35-40 
  mm.), 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  male 
  is 
  much 
  smaller, 
  its 
  size 
  being 
  only 
  25 
  mm. 
  It 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  

   parasite 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  species 
  of 
  Oryctcs. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  rare 
  in 
  Tamatave 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  Scolia 
  oryctophaga. 
  

  

  Elis 
  pfeiffcrac, 
  Sauss. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  varies 
  much 
  in 
  size. 
  It 
  is 
  fairly 
  common 
  everywhere 
  in 
  Tamatave 
  

   and 
  feeds 
  indifferently 
  on 
  any 
  flower. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  noticed 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  

   emerging 
  from 
  the 
  soil 
  where 
  Melolonthid 
  larvae 
  (probably 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Encya) 
  were 
  

   present 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  cane 
  stools. 
  

  

  Elis 
  thoracica, 
  F. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  extremely 
  common 
  in 
  both 
  Ste 
  Marie 
  and 
  Tamatave. 
  It 
  feeds 
  

   chiefly 
  on 
  " 
  queue 
  de 
  rat 
  " 
  {Stachytarpheta 
  indica). 
  On 
  the 
  sandy 
  plain 
  of 
  Tanamakoa, 
  

   where 
  it 
  exists 
  in 
  numbers, 
  the 
  only 
  larvae 
  found 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  Hrteronychus. 
  

  

  Elis 
  rufa, 
  Lep. 
  (Plate 
  viii). 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  which 
  is 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  Mascareine 
  group, 
  has 
  not 
  hitherto 
  been 
  

   found 
  in 
  Madagascar. 
  In 
  Mauritius 
  its 
  distribution 
  is 
  partial, 
  the 
  wasp 
  being 
  

   practically 
  unknown 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  and 
  extremely 
  common 
  in 
  others, 
  e.g., 
  

   Pamplemousses. 
  

  

  It 
  parasitises 
  two 
  indigenous 
  Melolonthids 
  that 
  attack 
  sugar-cane, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   described 
  recently 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  J. 
  Arrow, 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  

   Rhizotrogus 
  fallens 
  and 
  R. 
  gravidas 
  (Plate 
  ix, 
  figs. 
  4-6) 
  respectively. 
  These 
  beetles 
  

   would 
  undoubtedly 
  be 
  serious 
  pests 
  of 
  sugar-cane, 
  were 
  they 
  not 
  checked 
  by 
  this 
  

   Scoliid. 
  

  

  