Dec, io, 1913 
CalliephiaMes Parasite of Codling Moth 
219 
of the membranous portion of the venter at the base of the ovipositor, 
at which time the egg is being forced into the ovipositor. The egg slips 
rathfcr quickly down the ovipositor, becoming visible at a point just inside 
the cocoon and remaining visible during the remainder of its passage. 
It leaves the ovipositor, caudal pole first, at a point about 1 millimeter 
from the end on the ventral surface. It is placed at almost any point in 
the cocoon, not necessarily on the host larva. 
Her egg having been deposited, the parasite usually gives a parting thrust 
or two and withdraws the ovipositor, which springs back into its sheath. 
The duration of the act of oviposition is very variable, depending on 
the length of time required to locate and kill the larva. The shortest 
time observed was n minutes and the longest fully 45 minutes. The 
essential portions of the operation, however, probably do not require 
more than 4 or 5 minutes in the aggregate. 
Only one egg is deposited at a time, and normally only one parasite 
develops on a single host. However, in a considerable number of 
instances superparasitism took place, and in a few cases under observa¬ 
tion two parasites developed on a single codling-moth larva. This tend¬ 
ency was undoubtedly encouraged by the confinement of the cages, and 
as many as seven eggs were deposited in one cocoon. 
No data were kept on the exact number of eggs deposited by individual 
parasites nor on the number deposited daily by individuals, since in each 
of the life-history cages from five to nine females were used. But the 
results in these cages indicate that the total individual oviposition was 
in the neighborhood of 75 eggs and the average daily oviposition about 
2 eggs. 
THE EGG 
The egg (fig. 6) is opaque white, smooth, 1.5 mm. long, and about one- 
fifth as wide at the widest part. It is rounded at the cephalic end and 
tapers to a long point at the caudal end; in one plane 
it is considerably curved. The surface is without 
sculpture. Fig. b.—Calliepkialtes 
As the embryo develops, it draws away from the sp " Bgg * 
poles, and the chorion appears transparent and shriveled. Hatching 
takes place through a slit on one side near the cephalic pole, the larva 
freeing itself by a series of contortions which finally throw off the egg¬ 
shell, which is very tough and persistent. 
The incubation period for 825 eggs was determined. It varied from 
one to seven days, depending on weather conditions. Table I shows 
the incubation periods by months, the number of eggs hatching in each 
period, and the weighted average mean temperature for each period and 
for the season. 
