A description is offered below for an unusual species of Pimplopterus recently reared from the larch twig borer, Argyresthia laricella Kft., in several localities in Eastern Canada. I am indebted to my associate Mr. C. D. F. Miller, who fist drew my attention to the species and the peculiar features of its ovipositor, and to officers at several Forest Biology laboratories in Canada, who have kindly provided an excellent series of reared specimens.

Names have been requested for the following Ichneumonidae for use in publications on the parasites of a lepidopterous twig borer (Argyresthia lariccella Kft.) on tamarack (Larix laricina DuRoi).

Phaeogenes laricellae, new species

This species is closely related to P. epinotiae Cush. but may be distinguished by the very elongated and flattened thorax (of normal build in epinotiae), the smooth and shining clypeus (mostly coriaceous in epinotiae), and the small sub-apical ridge on the female hind coxa (hind coxa unarmed in female epinotiae).

The larva of Argyresthia laricella Kft., the larch shoot moth, bores in the shoots of larch killing the apical portion. It has been collected from tamarack, Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch, European larch, L. decidua Mill., and western larch, L. occidentalis Nutt., but not from Japanese larch, L. leptolepis (Sieb. and Zucc.) Gord., nor alpine larch, L. lyalli Parl., although Japanese larch trees were examined at Fredericton, New Brunswick, and near Burlington, Vermont. This insect has never been considered a serious pest.

Two species of moths are known to kill shoots of larch (Larix) by mining them: Argyresthia laricella Kearfott in Canada and A. laevigatella Herrick-Schäffer in Europe. The biology and economic status of these insects are compared by Eidt and Sippell (1961).

Opinions differ as to whether the Argyresthia on larch in Europe are one, two, or three species (Edwards, 1911; Grosvenor, 1911; Adkin, 1918). Beirne (1942) believes that only one species is involved but Kratochvil (1943), who did not know of Beirne's work, recognized two species. A. atmoriella Bankes in England and Silesia; A. laevigatella in central Europe. I have referred to all European material as A. laevigatella.

In the spring of 1959, Dr. O. Peck of the Entomology Research Institute, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Canada, sent to me a long series of Eurytoma specimens for determination. Dr. J. B. Thomas reared the series from buds of jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and is ready to publish on the biology of the species. This new species has been included in a projected revision of the genus Eurytoma in North America, north of Mexico, but due to the uncertainty as to just when it will be ready for publication, it seems best to publish the description concurrently with the paper by Dr. Thomas, so as not to hold up 'his valuable contribution to the biology of the species.

Members of the genus Eurytoma Illiger show a great diversity of feeding habits. There are approximately 90 species or subspecies listed in the synoptic catalogue of the Hymenoptera (Muesebeck et al., 1951) and the first supplement to this catalogue (Krombein et al., 1958), and about 40 per cent of these have been listed with entomophagous hosts. The habitats of another 28 species are listed as galls and the lack of information on their hosts is made clear by Bugbee (1951) who states, “It should be clearly understood that where hosts are given in this paper, all that is indicated is that the parasites were bred or emerged from that particular host gall.” Seven species are listed as phytophagous on seeds and berries and the remainder have no specified hosts.

For more than a decade the sawfly, Neodiprion swainei Midd., has been a serious defoliator of jack pine, Pinus banksiana Lamb., in the Province of Quebec. In 1955 an intensive research program involving several research officers was initiated at the Forest Biology Laboratory, Quebec, to study the insect. Investigations began near the centre of the infestation at the headwaters of the Gatineau River (47° 55′N., 75° 25′W.). The project dealing with the parasites became the responsibility of the author and constituted approximately 25 pcr cent of the total investigations. Integrated with this project were studies on population dynamics, effect of defoliation on jack pine, and predators of the sawfly with emphasis on the small mammals. The primary object of the parasite studies was to concentrate on the life cycles and descriptions of the immature stages and to publish on each species as sufficient information was obtained. Ultimately, it is planned to publish jointly with other members of the team on the role of parasites in the overall mortality complex of Neodiprion swainei.

The clover seed midge, Dasyneura leguminicola (Lint.), is one of the most important pests in red clbver seed fields in Ontario wherever the double-cut varieties are grown. The larvae feed within the clover florets, destroying the ovaries; if numerous, they prevent many fields from producing seed crops worth harvesting. In 1951 and 1952 and to a lesser degree in 1953, severe damage occurred in seed fields in eastern Ontario (Guppy, 1958); since then populations of the insect have gradually declined. British Columbia, Quebec, and New Brunswick are the only other provinces in Canada from which damage has been reported. However, the insect probably occurs wherever red clover is found in Canada.

A study of the attacking behavior of Simulium arcticum Mall., an important pest of livestock in Saskatchewan, is required to guide livestock management practices during outbreaks. Such a study has been hampered by the lack of a convenient device for obtaining collections representative of attacking populations.

In studies of the behaviour of adults of the white pine weevil, it has been reported by Sullivan (1953) that the movenients of the beetles can be traced over long periods of time by means of Co60 tags attached to the elytra. Observations of the labelled insects over several months were feasible because of the long half-life and high specific activity of this isotope. Tags containing approximately 200 to 500 μc of radioactive cobalt did not have any appreciable effect on the survival of the insects over periods of one to two months, but records of the longevity of labelled insects revealed excessive mortality after several months. As field trials had indicated that the amount of isotope in the tags was in excess of that required for accurate detection of the insects, the work was continued in an effort to determine the effects of different quantities of the isotope on short-, and long-term survival.

In an article on inflating insect larvae, the writer (1957) prescribed the use of glycerine to prevent the larval skin from sticking to the glass inflating tube. Vaseline and glycerine were formerly used for this purpose but they have not been satisfactory. The Technical Information Service of the National Research Council of Canada was consulted about better parting agents and through their aid an entirely satisfactory substance was obtained. The compound is of the silicone type; it has the consistency of petroleum jelly, is heat stable, and has greatly improved the efficiency of larval inflation at the Vernon laboratory. The commercial name of this compound is “Slipicone” made by Dow Corning Silicones Ltd., Tippet Rd., Downsview, Toronto, Ontario.