APLASTOMORPHA VANDINEl TUCKER, AN IMPORTANT 
PARASITE OF SITOPHILUS ORYZA L. 1 
By Richard T. Cotton, Scientific Assistant , Stored-Product Insect Investigations, 
Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture 
INTRODUCTION 
The most effective insect enemy of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryza L-, 
in the United States is the chalcid Aplastomorpha vandinei Tucker. 
While engaged in studying the biology of the rice weevil at Orlando, 
Fla., during the years 1920 and 1921, the writer made the following 
observations on the life history and habits of this parasite. 
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION 
Although originally described as from Texas, the native home of this 
chalcid is unknown. It is now cosmopolitan in its distribution, prob¬ 
ably occurring wherever com is used. 
HISTORY AND SYNONYMY 
The earliest definite reference to this species in literature appeared 
in 1899, when Chittenden (2) 2 recorded it as parasitic on Bruchus quadri - 
maculatus Fab. under the name of Apalastomorpha prattii Ashm. MSS. 
No description of this species was published, however, until 1910, when 
Tucker ( 10 ) described it under the name of Meraporus vandinei from 
Plano, Tex. 
In 1913 the same species was described by Crawford (3) as Aplasto¬ 
morpha pratti , the manuscript name previously given by Ashmead to 
individuals of this species bred in Washington, D. C., from Bruchus 
quadrimaculatus Fab. Crawford’s description was based on specimens 
collected in Dallas, Tex., by W. D. Hunter. 
Later in the same year the species was again described, this time by 
Girault (5), under the name Neocatolaccus australiensis, from material 
reared in Australia. 
In 1915 Girault (6) placed his species australiensis in the genus Aplas¬ 
tomorpha Crawford and in 1917 (7) reduced Aplastomorpha pratti Craw., 
A. australiensis Gir., and Meraporus vandinei Tucker to synonymy with 
Neocatolaccus vandinei Tucker. 
Finally Gahan (4) in 1920 recognized Aplastomorpha vandinei Tucker 
as the correct name of the species. 
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 
Aplastomorpha vandinei is of chief economic importance as a parasite 
of the grain weevils Sitophilus oryza and S', granarius L. It has also been 
reported as parasitic on several other insects of economic importance— 
that is, on the 4-spotted bean weevil, Bruchus quadrimaculatus , by Chit¬ 
tenden (2), on the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serriconic Bab., by Runner 
(9) and Bodkin (z), on Pachymerus sp. by Girault ( 8 ), and on the “grain 
^Accepted for publication May 13, 1922. 
* Reference is made by number (italic) to “ Literature cited,” p. 556. 
Vol. XXIII, No. 7 
Feb. T7, 1923 
Key No. K-104 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
adi 
(549) 
