HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES OF ALETIA. 113 



over a strong light ; they are of a dark color. Wings four; hymenopterous ; incum- 

 bent, extending to and exactly even with the end of the tail ; shape of the wings, 

 which are small and extremely delicate, like that of a fan. Front legs half the length 

 of the posterior, of a uniform orange color ; the intermediate legs very little longer 

 than the anterior ; the thighs of a deep orange color, the rest of the leg annulated 

 with orange and white. The posterior legs lon^ in comparison to the others ; thighs 

 of a deep. orange color, the rest of the leg annulated with black and white, the rings 

 being larger than those of the intermediate. The trunk is of a uniform shining black, 

 as would be the upper surface of the abdomen also were it not for the very narrow 

 white bands which connect the black scales together, giving to the abdomen an an- 

 nulated appearance ; these white lines do not encircle the abdomen, but terminate 

 uniformly on the sides. On the under surface of the abdomen these white rings again 

 commence, which are larger than those on the upper surface, causing the abdomen to 

 look almost white. The tail terminates in a bifurcated sheath, inclosing a long blunt 

 sting, projecting considerably beyond the tail, and forming a very prominent feature 

 in. the general figure of the insect. This is a small, slender insect, much longer than 

 the honey bee, but not so thick. 



In 1851 Mr. Affleck figured and described what is probably this spe- 

 cies in his Eural Almanac. In 1855 Mr. Glover also treated of the same 

 parasite. The other public mentions were by Glover in 1867, Phares in 

 1868, and William Jones in 1868. 



The Watchful Pimpla is rarely, if ever, bred from Aletia, except late 

 in the fall, when it is occasionally found in great numbers {vide the ex- 

 periences of Affleck, Gorham, and Jones), and it seems altogether prob- 

 able that during the summer months this parasite prefers other cater- 

 pillars, resorting to the Cotton Worms only at the end of the season, when 

 other caterpillars are wanting or very scarce, Aletia being one of the 

 last species of the season. This parasite usually hibernates as a pupa 

 within the Aletia pupa, but often issues in the fall. 



The EiNa-LEaaED Pimpla.— This is another species {Pimpla annu- 

 lipes Br., Fig. 40) of the same genus, having about the same size and 

 general appearance, but having the rings on the abdomen dusky or 



reddish instead of whitish, and differing in 

 other minute particulars. It is less numer- 

 ous than the preceding, but we have ob- 

 tained it from chrysalides on several occa- 

 sions. In habit it is precisely like conquisitor^ 

 and equally widespread and destructive to 

 other species of lepidoptera, being one of the 

 few parasites of the common Apple Worm 



^^^^ ( Carpocapsa pomonella) . 

 ^ X Cryptus nuncius 



(Fig. 41).— A third 

 \ Ichneumon-fly, belonging to a different 

 '^ genus and having similar habits with the 

 FIG. ^o.-Pimpia annuiives: Outline Pimplasjust dcscribcd, cxccpt that the pupa 

 men.^llfti/Sney.v''*^ ""^ ""^^^ ^^'^''' ^^ formed in a cocoon, may (considering the 



the known variability of coloration in the 



species of the genus) be referred to Cryptus nuncius^ Say. It is a black 



and red, four- winged fly, with transparent wings, and issues from the 



Aletia chrysalis during the sx^ring. It is a well-known parasite of our 



63 CONG 8 



