1968] 
Matthews — Microstigmus 
37 
nests. Soon she returned to the same nest, first darting at it two or 
three times from 5 cm away, and then landing on it. At that point 
the wasp was collected. On another occasion three female H. micro- 
stigmi were observed at different nests in the study area during one 
fifteen minute period. One was seen to be effectively repelled by 
the nest residents before any oviposition could be attempted (see 
previous section). 
Table 2. Collembola prey 
taken by M. comes 
, based on 1197 
individuals 
from 35 cells, 
24 of which were 
“complete”, as 
defined by 
presence of egg 
or newly hatched larva. “Presence” 
- number 
of complete cells in which species 
occurred. Identifications by 
R. J. Snider of 
Michigan State University; specimens are de- 
posited in his collection. 
No. of individual 
s % of total no. 
Presence 
in all cells 
of Collembola 
Entomobryidae 
Entomobryinae 
Drepanocyrtus sp. 
5 
0.4 
3 
Lepidocyrtus sp. X 
442 
36.9 
23 
Lepidocyrtus sp. Y 
143 
11.9 
17 
Lepidocyrtus sp. Z 
Paronellinae 
41 
3.4 
11 
Paronclla sp. 
392 
32.7 
24 
Sminthuridae 
Sminthurinae 
Deuterosminthurus sp. 
174 
14.5 
23 
Other Nest Inhabitants. — Four nests were found that had ap- 
parently been used by a solitary wasp and had the entrance plugged 
with mud. The interior of each of the nests also had been partially 
coated with mud. One contained 10 immature paralyzed spiders be- 
longing to the Theridiidae and Tetragnathidae (det. H. W. Levi) ; 
an egg was attached to the right side of the abdomen of one spider. 
Another nest contained a horizontally situated brownish cocoon from 
which an unidentified ichneumonid parasite emerged. A third 
contained a similar cocoon from which an adult had previously 
emerged. The fourth was empty except for a mud lining. 
DISSECTION OF FEMALES 
The females from each night-collected nest were killed by pre- 
serving in either Bouin’s solution or chloral hydrate fixative; sub- 
sequently, dissections of the reproductive system were made. Data 
on the ovary conditon of females from the largest colonies are sum- 
marized in Table 4; due to the small size of the wasp, the sperma- 
