207 



UNUSUAL ABUNDANCE OF BUTTERFLY LARV^. 



A gentleman residing at Falls Churcli, Va., brought into the office 

 on November 5 a specimen of the caterpillar- of Papilio troilus, one of 

 the large, black, swallow-tail butterflies, sometimes known as the Green- 

 clouded Swallow- tail. He said that the foreman of his farm had brought 

 him this specimen, with the statement that, although he had never 

 seen such a creature before, they were now present by hundreds upon 

 the Sassafras bushes, which they were defoliating. S})ecimens of the 

 foliage accompanying the caterpillar were already dry and yellow in 

 color, and the larva itself was of a dirty yellow hue, closely approximat- 

 ing that of the leaves, and offering a marked contrast to its earlier 

 bright green coloration. The date, November 5, is unusually late for 

 this larva to be still feeding, and its abundance, as indicated by the 

 title to this note, is also unusual. 



SOME IMPORTED AUSTRALIAN PARASITES. 



Mr. Koebele has recently sent us a few parasites reared in Australia 

 from scale-insects common to Australia and California, and also a few 

 species parasitic upon the scale-insect enemies which he has brought 

 over to California. From several of the Coccinellid larvse he has reared 

 a new species of Homalotylus, and another species of the same genus 

 on Ehizohius ventralis. From a larva of Scymnus flavifrons he sends a 

 species of Pachyneuron which, however, is secondary. From Bhizobius 

 dehilis he has reared an Encyrtine, forming a new genus near Aphycus. 

 From Lecanium hesperidum he sends a sx^ecies of the genus Comys. 

 From a Mealy Bug of the genus Dactylopius he sends a species of 

 Aphycus and a species of Encyrtus, while from Lecanium olew^ the 

 common black scale, he has reared in Australia Dilophogaster calif ornicay 

 an insect which is a very effective enemy of the same scale in Califor- 

 nia. From the eggs of Icerya he sends Ophelosia crawfordi. From the 

 the scale-feeding larva of Thalpochares cocciphaga he sends a species of 

 Cryptus and one of Bracon. From Aphis hrassicce he has reared Lijw- 

 lexis rapce Curtis, a species which is now common to Europe, America, 

 and Australia. He has also sent a species of Eupelmus found oviposit- 

 ing upon a larva or chrysalis of a Tineid which feeds upon Chionaspis 

 citri. 



A NEW PARASITE OF THE RED SCALE. 



We have recently received from Mr. Coquillett, of Los Angeles, four 

 female specimens of Aphelinus diaspidis Howard, three of which were 

 captured upon Orange leaves infested by Aspidiotus aurantii^ while the 

 fourth was found engaged in ovipositing in one of these scale insects. 

 This is a new habit for this species which was originally described by 

 Mr. Howard from specimens of Diaspis rosw sent to the Division from 

 Fort Eead, Fla., by Col. B. F. Whitner, in 1880, and from other speci- 

 9673— No. 3 5 



