212 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. I, No. 3 
IDENTITY AND INTRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES 
When the California State Horticultural Commission began its work of 
introducing this parasite into California in an attempt to control the 
codling moth, specimens were submitted to Dr. William H. Ashmead for 
determination. Dr. Ashmead determined them as the Calliephialtes 
mess or of Gravenhorst, a species inadequately described from a single 
female specimen from Russia. Up to the time of the introduction into 
California, C. messor had been mentioned in literature only once since its 
description. This was by Taschenberg, who in 1863 recorded it as hav¬ 
ing been reared as a parasite of {Tinea) Galleria mellonella , the wax 
moth. 
When the writer took up the work on the species, specimens reared 
from the codling moth in material sent to the Bureau of Entomology 
from Sachsen, Germany, were submitted to Mr. H. L. Viereck, who 
determined them as Calliephialtes comstockii Cress., a species described 
from the United States. Later, specimens reared by the writer as prog¬ 
eny of the specimens received from California were sent to Dr. A. Roman, 
of the Stockholm Museum. Dr. Roman reported that the museum had 
no specimens of C. messor , but that those sent were identical with a 
specimen determined for the museum by Dr. Ashmead as C. pusio 
Walsh, another species described from America. The specimen in the 
Stockholm Museum bears only the label “Long I.” Dr. Ashmead there¬ 
fore evidently determined the same thing under two specific names, one 
European and the other American. 
INTRODUCTION INTO CALIFORNIA 
Late in 1904 Mr. George Compere, acting as an agent of the State 
Horticultural Commission of California, found this species attacking the 
codling moth in Spain. Living specimens were sent by him to Cali¬ 
fornia, where they were propagated and their progeny released in infested 
orchards. At this time the species was supposed to be Ephialtes car- 
bonarius Christ, and references to it under that name have appeared in 
literature, but specimens from California were determined by Dr. William 
H. Ashmead as messor Grav. and the species placed in his genus Cal¬ 
liephialtes. That it is not Calliephialtes carbonarius is firmly established 
by the well-known habit of that species of attacking wood-boring insects. 
In view of the uncertainty as to the specific identity of the parasite, 
the writer has avoided the use of any specific name in the present paper. 
INTRODUCTION INTO SOUTH AFRICA 
Prom California specimens of the species were sent to the Cape of 
Good Hope in 1907, where they were propagated and released by the 
Government Entomologist, Prof. C. P. Lounsbury. Reports of the re¬ 
sults of this introduction indicate that it is of doubtful success. 
