426 
Psyche 
[December 
landensis (Rayment) was common in the nesting area throughout 
the season. It was often observed to investigate, and sometimes to 
enter, open nests, and actively patrolled the nesting area throughout 
the day. With the exception of some miltogrammine flies noted on 
one occasion but not collected, no other parasites were observed in 
the nesting area. 
17 
Fig. 17. Cocoon of Sericophorus viridis, anterior end at right. 
Of 17 cells with Sericophorus eggs (and several more incom- 
pletely provisioned cells), only one contained evidence of parasitism 
(note AM 143). This cell contained 8 flies with the egg of Seri- 
cophorus on the fly deepest in the cell. However, a somewhat smaller 
egg, presumably that of A canthostethus , was found on the fourth 
fly in the cell, tucked ventrally just posterior to the left hind coxa 
and well concealed between it and the base of the fly’s abdomen 
(Fig. 8). The parasite egg measured 1.3 mm long and 0.5 mm 
wide at the middle. Attempts to rear the parasite in a tin failed. 
Rayment (1953, 1955a) first discovered this interesting wasp en- 
tering nests of S. victoriensis , and his account of its behavior is 
essentially the same as we have observed, although he failed to find 
its eggs or immature stages. He also mentioned the presence of 
several unidentified mutillids and the bombyliid Systoechus sp. in 
the vicinity of the Sericophorus nests. 
In our nests, mold was an important mortality factor. For 
example, in the largest nest excavated, viable offspring were found 
in 14 cells (11 cocoons, 2 larvae, 1 egg), but an additional 9 cells 
were overgrown with mold. Another seven nests excavated on the 
same day (4 March 1970) contained a total of 50 cells of which 
27 had been destroyed by mold. 
