sitic on wood-boring Coleoptera. The adult is odd looking, having 
a spherical head situated at the end of a long neck, bearing 
crowns of teeth. 
FAMILY BRACONIDAE 
The family Braconidae comprises one of the major groups of 
insect parasites. The majority of species are parasitic in the 
larvae of Lepidoptera, but a large number are also parasitic of 
several other orders, especially the Coleoptera. Braconid adults 
are seldom more than 15 mm. long. They resemble those of the 
family Ichneumonidae in lacking a costal cell but differ in not 
having more than one recurrent vein. Many species pupate in 
silken cocoons on the outside of the body of the host, whereas 
others spin cocoons entirely apart from their hosts. There are 
from one to many generations per year, depending on the species. 
In some species the life cycle may be completed in less than 2 
weeks (144). 
In addition to the large number of native species attacking 
forest insects, several species have been imported from abroad 
against important introduced pests. A few of these are discussed 
briefly below. 
Agathis (=Bassus) pumilis (Ratz.) was imported into the 
United States and Canada against the larch casebearer during the 
thirties. It is now widely distributed throughout eastern Canada 
and Northeastern United States and is providing a high degree 
of control in some areas. It has also been established in Idaho 
where the casebearer was discovered on western larch in 1957. 
Winter is spent in the larval stage within the host and there is 
one generation per year. 
Meteorus versicolor (Wesm.), a parasite of the brown-tail 
moth and various other species of Lepidoptera, was introduced 
into the United States early in the century, and is known to have 
been established since 1909. It is now widely distributed through- 
out the range of the brown-tail moth in New England, but ap- 
pears to be of little value in its control. Attempts to establish it on 
the satin moth in the Northeast have failed. It is established on 
the satin moth in the Pacific Northwest, however, where it is 
considered an important control factor (205). 
Apanteles lacteicolor Vier., a parasite of the brown-tail moth 
in Europe, was introduced and established in the United States in 
1908, and is now generally distributed throughout the range of 
its host. Studies made several years after its establishment 
showed a parasitization of 7 percent of overwintering larvae over 
a wide area. Winter is spent within young brown-tail moth larvae. 
The adults appear in the spring, and two generations may de- 
velop in alternate hosts (549, 124). 
Apanteles melanoscelus (Ratz.), a European parasite of the 
gypsy moth, was introduced into New England in 1911 and 1912 
and became established very quickly. Later, it was recolonized 
widely and is now generally established over the infested area of 
New England. Parasitization is sometimes fairly high in spots. 
Its abundance is greatly reduced in the spring by hyperparasites 
which attack overwintering cocoons. 
469 
