668 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Life history and habits. Adults of this species have been observed 

 ovipositing on recently sawed spruce lumber, and Dr Hopkins states that it 

 attacks spruce, hemlock and fir. This is one of the more common of our 

 species in the eastern United States, though it is far from abundant and the 

 male appears to be quite rare. The adults are usually found during July 

 and August on the trunks of coniferous trees on bright days. The eggs 

 are deposited in the wood with the stout ovipositor, the insects apparently 

 preferring recently felled trees. The larvae run large burrows through the 

 trunks, often rendering them unfit for lumber. 



Distribution. This species has been recorded by Fabricius from both 

 North and South America. It has in addition also been reported from the 

 following localities : New -England, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, 

 Washington, Ottawa Can., Lake Winnipeg, Newfoundland .and Northwest 

 Territory. It has also been taken in England, probably carried there in 

 infested lumber. Some allied species are regarded as destructive to pine 

 forests in Germany, and reports of considerable injuries to coniferous trees 

 have been received from the Northwest Territory, though we believe that, 

 as a rule, in this country comparatively little damage results from this 

 insect's work. 



Bibliography 

 1897 Lintner, J. A. Ins. N. Y. 13th Rep't, p. 338-40 



Banded horntail 



Urocer.us abdominalis Harr. 



A large, black, 4-winged fly an inch long having some resemblance to a wasp, but 

 vvitli a stout, cylindric body, attacks spruce. 



This species has smoky, transparent wings and its larvae have the gen- 

 eral character of other horntails. The different sexes of these insects vary 

 considerably, and it is possible that this species is the male of Urocerus 

 albicornis Fabr. noticed above. 



