1982] Reed & Akre — Vespula austraica and V. aeadiea 185 
dehydrated in 100% ethanol, critical point dried, and then coated 
with gold. Photographs of femora and Dufour’s glands, which had 
been preserved in ethanol, were taken using conventional macro- 
photographic techniques. 
Exocrine glands and certain other internal features (e.g., ovaries, 
ganglia) were examined in specimens preserved for dissection by 
injecting Kahle’s solution under an anterior abdominal tergum until 
the gaster swelled. Specimens were subsequently stored in 70% 
ethanol. Seven V. aeadiea queens and 19 V austriaca females were 
examined to establish the occurrence and size of the 14 known 
vespine glands (Landolt and Akre 1979). Dissections were conducted 
using a binocular dissecting microscope equipped with an ocular 
micrometer. Gland size and conditon were compared with previous 
measurements (Landolt and Akre 1979). In a few cases, exocrine 
glands were inspected in freshly killed specimens. Abdominal plates, 
mandibular features, and front femora were also studied in the pre- 
served specimens. 
Results 
The morphometric analysis of selected characters revealed that 
although both species are very similar in terms of overall body size 
(i.e., as indicated by the width of the mesonotum and gastral tergum 
I), certain body parts of V austriaca are significantly larger than 
those of the host (Table 1). The head and interocular distance of the 
parasite is slightly wider than that of V aeadiea. The mesonotum of 
the two species are comparable with only the mesonotal length 
being significantly larger in the parasite. Also, the length of the hind 
tibia and the forewing are longer than the corresponding parts in the 
host, although forewing length is extremely variable in both species. 
The first gastral tergum, like the mesonotum, only differs signifi- 
cantly in its length. 
One of the more unique morphological differences is the larger 
front femora of V austriaca (Fig. 1). This femur is consistently 
wider and longer in the parasite females than in host queens. Fur- 
thermore, the femur is quite robust in the parasite, while it is slender 
and more concave on the innner side in V. aeadiea. 
