NEUROTERUS LENTIOQLARIS. 131 



cubital cellule with a small fuscous cloud. Mesonotum shagreened, 

 finely striated along the furrows. Ovipositor longer than the abdomen. 

 Length 2 — 5 mm. 



Easily known from the sexual form by the long 

 curved ovipositor. 



Gall. — More or less circular, usually pale yellow, 

 sometimes brownish-red in colour; average diameter 

 4^ mm. ; flat beneath, with a minute knob by which 

 it is attached to the leaf ; above with the edges 

 slightly curled up, and with a large conical elevation 

 in the centre ; the surface covered densely with 

 radiating stellate hairs. 



It is worthy of remark that the galls of this species 

 found on the Turkey oak at Kew Gardens are always 

 of a deep purple colour. 



Inquilines. — Synergus Tschehi, Mayr, in April. 



Parasites. — Torymus auratus, T. hibernans, Mayr; 

 T. sodalis, Mayr; T.fuscicrux, Giraud; Syntomaspis cau- 

 data^teromalusdissectus^Yk. (Giraud) ; and P. tibialis, 

 West. (Giraud). Also Decatoma biguttata according 

 to Brischke, Pezomachus gallarum, Giraud; Pleuro- 

 tropis sosarmus (Fitch). Walker (Ent., vi, 504) 

 records Eurytoma signata; and Ratzeburg, on the 

 authority of Tischbein's rearings, Entedon flavomacu- 

 lata and Megastigmus dorsalis. 



As has been just stated, the sexual females lay 

 their eggs in young oak leaves about the middle of 

 June ; the galls make their appearance in July, and 

 fall to the earth in September or October. In the 

 winter the galls swell up, becoming strongly convex; 

 the larva grows, and in the natural state becomes a 

 pupa and imago in March or April. The eggs are 

 laid in the leaf-buds, the ovipositor being introduced 

 at the top and inserted between the scales. 



The number of galls found on a leaf is sometimes 

 very great, exceeding 150, and occasionally they occur 

 in enormous numbers. When thev do so the leaves 

 become very distorted ; and, owing to the galls being so 

 closely packed together, they are very irregular in shape. 



