342 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



78. Aphis. t 



A good many parasites have at various times been bred from 

 members of this genus — sometimes, doubtless, sensu lato — which 

 have not been recognized, and often with no record even of their 

 food-plant. From an Aphis on Lapsana communis, upon which 

 at least five Aphids are known to live, Marshall bred " a fine 

 set" of Aphidius crepidis, Hal. (Br. d'Europ. ii. 582). From an 

 Aphis on Galium verum Bignell bred two A. cirsii, Hal. ; from an 

 Aphis on a foreign shrub he also bred nine male and female 

 Aphidius hortensis, Marsh. ; and from an Aphis feeding on several 

 species of willow he bred, in July and August, Aphidius salicis, 

 Hal., of which the latter tells us (Ent. Mag. 1835, p. 102) the 

 majority are destroyed by the hyperparasitic Allotria fulviceps 



f Many Fossores are known to provision their nests with Aphididce : — 

 Psenulus pallidipes preys upon species of both Aphis, as mentioned by 

 Curtis, who saw the former storing them in straws of thatch, and nymphs of 

 Psylla, as given by Giraud (Ann. Soc. Fr. 1877, p. 470) ; Pemphredon uni- 

 coJor, as indicated by Curtis, Shuckard (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1836, p. 57), and 

 Giraud (Verh. z.-b. Ges. 1863), and P. lugubris, as noted by Latreille, Ken- 

 nedy (Philosoph. Mag. 1838, p. 17), and Shuckard (Foss. Hym. 197), prey 

 upon Hyalopterus prwni and various species of the genus Aphis ; the 

 last also stores up Melanoxanthus salicis ; Stigmus pendulus pre3 T s upon 

 Myzus cerasi, another unspecified species of Aphis, and I have seen it in 

 Ipswich carrying off Aphis hieracii from the stems of Heracleum splwn- 

 dylium on July 28th and 29th, 1901. Gaulle says the species of Diodontus 

 are "parasites de Pucerons," and Curtis found them storing living Aphids in 

 their nests in straws of thatch. Passalcccus gracilis and P. corniger gather 

 species of Aphis, and the latter was captured among them on currant-bushes 

 in Battersea Fields by Shuckard (Foss. Hym. 192). Nitela spinolce attacks 

 Aphis picridis and another species of the same genus, and Crabro aphidum 

 and C. panzeri allied species. Buckton considers it probable that Fossors 

 paralyse their Aphid prey by stinging them before carrying them off, but this 

 is not the case, since I have seen Diodontus tristis seize and fly off with 

 Siphonophora millefolii without bringing its sting near it (cf. Entom. 1908. 

 p. 210). Suspended animation may, however, be produced by stinging after 

 reaching the nest. Each kind of Fossor is thought by Buckton to store a 

 single species of Aphid. Giraud (Ann. Soc. Fr. 1866, pp. 443-500) states that 

 the genus Gelia appears to confine the food of its progeny to Coccids, while 

 Pemphredon, Cemonus, Diodontus, Passal&cus, and Stigmus prey upon 

 Aphids. 



The intercourse of Ants with Aphids is, I believe invariably, of a friendly 

 nature, and in no way enters the subject of this paper ; the latest note on the 

 subject (Ent. Rec. 1908, p. 281) is very typical. 



