68 
Psyche 
[March 
tion size depends upon the age of the colony. For these reasons the 
figures cited can be used as only a very approximate guide to the 
mature size of a “typical” colony of each species. 
Note on a parasite of Stelopolybia testacea 
On the second day following collection of the S. testacea nest, 
a parasite emerged from one of the capped cells of comb 8. It has 
been tentatively identified 2 as N omadina cisandina (Schulz) (Hymen- 
optera, Trigonalidae) . It superficially resembled its host in form 
and color except that it was slightly smaller in size, had a relatively 
smaller head, and lacked the black markings on the gastral segments. 
The empty pupal skin of the S. testacea host remained between the 
cocoon of the parasite and the wall of the paper cell. The cap of the 
cell appeared normal and was evidently spun by the S. testacea larva. 
It is interesting that the adult parasite emerged from a section of 
comb from which adult S. testacea were emerging at that time. A 
second adult parasite of the same species was found on the nest 
several days later. 
Other species of Trigonalidae are known to be parasitic on social 
Vespidae. Bertoni (1911) has recorded Seminota marginata from 
species of A poica and Polistes, and S. depressa from Polistes. Clausen 
(1929) has recorded N omadina cisandina from Polybia , Seminota 
mejicana from Parachartergus , and Pseudogonalos hahni and Bareo- 
gonalos canadensis from Vespa. 
Acknowledgements 
I gratefully acknowledge Dr. Paulo E. Vanzolini and Dr. Daley 
Albuquerque for helping to make possible my stay at the Museu 
Goeldi in Belem; Senhoras Erica and Violeta Hagmann for the 
generous hospitality shown me during my stay at Taperinha and 
for help in collecting the nest of S. testacea ; Mrs. Sally Landry for 
executing the drawing in Fig. 1 ; and Dr. E. O. Wilson, Dr. Wm. 
Eberhard and Miss Nancy Lind for critically reading the manu- 
script. The field work was supported by NSF Predoctoral Fellow- 
ships and by grants from the Evolutionary Biology fund at Harvard. 
Financial support was also received from the National Science 
Foundation (Grant No. GB 7734, E. O. Wilson, Sponsor). 
2 By I. H. H. Yarrow, British Museum (Natural History). 
