1985] 
Porter & O’Neil — Genus Chromocryptus 
409 
Argentina, and Brasil. It has not been recorded from the Neantarc- 
tic Biotic Province of South America (Chile and adjoining south- 
west Argentina) nor from any of the West Indian islands. 
Of the known species, 6 occur in northern Argentina and/or 
Brasil, 1 is reported from the Peruvian Coastal Desert, 1 from Mex- 
ico and the southern United States, 1 from Florida, 1 from the 
northeastern United States, and 1 from central California. Habitats 
occupied by Chromocryptus include Temperate Deciduous Forest 
(C. planosae), Floridian Subtropical Evergreen Forest (C. weemsi 
and eastern populations of C. mesorufus), Tamaulipan Subtropical 
Thorn Scrub (western populations of C. mesorufus ), Chaco-like 
Tropical Thorn Scrub on the north Peruvian coast (C. teres), the 
northwest Argentine Andean ecotone between Subtropical Cloud 
Forest, highland Chaco, and Montane Temperate Forests (C. alva- 
radoi and some populations of C. tomsici), the northwest Argentine 
Andean Desert or Prepuna (some populations of C. tomsici ), the 
north-central Argentine Dry Chaco (C. prosopis, C. golbachi), and 
very wet subtropical to tropical forests in the south Brasilian biotic 
zone (C. huebrichi). 
Wherever it occurs, Chromocryptus almost always seems extra- 
ordinarily scarce. Specimens which I have observed usually were 
crawling or flying within the shelter of spiny shrubs. I suspect they 
may be common in such microhabitats, from which they rarely 
emerge to enter Malaise Traps and in which it is difficult for the 
collector to detect and net them. 
Hosts 
Chromocryptus have been reared most often from tough lepidop- 
terous cocoons attached to bark. Lasiocampidae are the usual hosts, 
with C. planosae recorded from Epicnaptera and Tolype in the 
eastern United States and C. huebrichi cited from Titya near Buenos 
Aires, Argentina. There is also 1 rearing for C. planosae from the 
arctiid genus Halisidota. 
Parasitism by Chromocryptus is gregarious, with up to 22 speci- 
mens emerging from a single host cocoon (Porter 1967: 33-4). This 
habit also has been recorded for the Chilean Trachysphyrus horsti 
and the Argentine T. chacorum, but has not been noted among such 
commonly reared Holarctic “trachysphyroid” genera as Itamoplex 
and Buathra. Pratt (1945: 551) believes C. planosae to be polyem- 
bryonic. 
