Pseudaonidia tesserata, de Charm.

Aspidiotus (Diaspidiotus) tesseratus, de Charm., Pr. Soc. Amic. Scien., 1899, p. 23.

Pseudaonidia tesserata, Brain, Bull. Ent. Res., ix, 1919, p. 206.

On Monotes glaber (Dipterocarpaceae), Trelawney, 29.iii.1928. The specimens were found on the larger branches (1½ inches in diameter) underneath the superficial tissues of the bark.

1. An account is given of two organised grass fires carried out in the Lomagundi fly-belt of Southern Rhodesia in the years 1927 and 1928, as a method of controlling G. morsitans.

2. The effect of these fires on the flora and game is described, and details given of the immediate effect of these fires on both the adult fly and the puparia. The effect on the adult fly was to concentrate it along the shady watercourses and other parts of the forest where the fires were less fierce and the requisite shade was to be found.

3. On the puparia, no immediate effect was noticeable. The number of dead puparia collected increased during October and November, and this is considered to be attributable to the lethal effects of the sun, not of the fire.

4. The pupal period of the fly decreases from eighty-two days for puparia collected in June, to twenty-one days for puparia collected in November. The period of greatest activity of the fly, as indicated by emerging flies, density and collected puparia, is in September.

5. A short account is given of the trypansome infection and food of the fly. On the average 11 per cent. of the flies are infected with pathological trypansomes in the proportion of ten congolense group to seven vivax group. Only one infection of the gland was found out of 1,523 dissections. There is a tendency for the percentage of infected flies to increase during the late dry season. This rise coincides with the increased visibility of the game. Examination of the fat content failed to indicate any degree of starvation amongst the flies.

The food of the fly consists almost entirely of mammalian blood, only one case of avian blood being found.

6. A final decision has not yet been pronounced upon the efficacy of grass fires as a means of controlling G. morsitans in Southern Rhodesia.

In discussing the African Trypetidae some mention should be made of the work of the late Dr. Mario Bezzi, who has perhaps done most work on the higher Diptera of Africa and on the Trypetidae in particular. In 1924 in his papers in Vol. xv of the “ Bulletin of Entomological Research ” and in Vol. xix of the “ Annals of the South African Museum,” Bezzi left the classification of the African Trypetidae in as satisfactory a condition as any systematic group could be expected to be at any given time. Some discrepancy was apparent, however, between the classification of the African and of the European Trypetidae, the general classification of the latter apparently not having been touched since Loew's early work. The appearance, therefore, of Dr. F. Hendel's monograph on the Palaearctic Trypetidae in Lindner's “ Die Fliegen der Palaearktischen Region ” was greatly to be welcomed. At the same time, his classification does not agree with that of Bezzi ; Hendel has made numerous nomenclatorial and systematic changes, and the correlation of the two systems will not always be easy.

In the “ Furau,” or Tiger-beetle larva of Nigeria, the digestion of the prey is mainly extra-intestinal. A dark brown slightly acid fluid, which is actively proteolytic and causes blackening of the tissues, is ejected from the intestine of the larva and dissolves the tissues of the prey. The resulting fluid is swept towards the mouth by the labium and re-ingested.

The bites of the larvae had no effect upon the skin of a monkey or of man, and there is little doubt that the larvae have no relation to the inflammatory lesion of the foot of man, which also is called “ Furau ” in Northern Nigeria.

Microstigmus myersi, sp. n. (fig. 1).

♀. Nigro-aenea, nitida ; mandibulis, antennis (articulo apicali excepto), tegulis pedibusque, luteis ; alis hyalinis, iridescentibus ; venis fuscis, basi luteis. Long. 3·5 mm.

Oliarus cocosivora, sp. n. (fig. 1).

Male : length, 3·5 mm. ; tegmen, 4 mm.

Length of vertex along lateral margin twice the width at base ; the areolets reaching nearly to middle of vertex ; base angularly emarginate ; a distinct, fine carina down middle of basal half. The median frontal carina forked at base. The fine carinae of mesothorax distinct. The fork of Sc+R slightly more distad than fork of Cu ; the fork of M1, 2 slightly more basad than fork of M3, 4. The genitalia are figured. The anal segment a little longer than wide. The aedeagus armed with large spines.

Up to 1909, the date of publication of the volume on Chalcididae in the Genera Insectorum, the genus Elasmus, Westw., was considered to be distributed only in Europe and America. In his list of species Schmiedeknecht mentioned only a single Asiatic species, E. anticles, Walk., from India, and no Australian or African species. At that date two other oriental species were already known, the one described, but not named, by Zehntner from Java (1900), and the other from the Philippine Islands, E. philippinensis, Ashmead (1904).

During the first half of 1927 the writer visited the chief grape-growing districts of Australia to investigate on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board and the Common-wealth Government the insect infestation of dried fruit. The more immediately practical results of this study were published in November 1928 (E.M.B., 12, 36 pp.). On pages 20–22 of that report the question of natural enemies was briefly considered. The present notes describe certain aspects of the behaviour of these natural enemies, with special reference, in the case of the “ parasites,” to oviposition habits. The literature on Microbracon hebetor, Say (Habrobracon juglandis, Ashm.) has grown enormously in the last few years, and the present section on this insect makes no pretence to deal with the mass of literature upon it, nor to summarise our knowledge of its biology. Among more monographic papers on M. hebetor may be mentioned those of Hase (the subject at first determined in error as Habrobracon brevicornis) and Genieys (chiefly morphological). Showell (Jl. Dept. Agric. South Australia, xxxi, 1928, pp. 1048–1056), has recently published an account of the life-history under Australian conditions ; while Schultze (1924) has described its psychology, with special reference to cleaning-habits and antennal movements. Schultze's work I have not seen.

In a previous paper (Bull. Ent. Res., xvi, 1925, p. 143), a general account was given of the conditions encountered in fumigation of citrus trees with hydrocyanic acid gas in Palestine.

The larvae of certain gall midges have been known for a long time to prey on Aphids ; in fact Rondani in 1847 described a midge, now known as Phaenobremia aphidimyza, Rond., whose larvae fed on Aphids on fruit trees. Since this first record, there have been many notes of Aphids being attacked by Cecidomyid larvae, and in some cases the adult midge has been reared and described. Most of the literature consists of mere records of larvae feeding on Aphids or else descriptions of the midges ; in a few cases biological notes are added. So far as the writer knows there are only two papers that are devoted to a study of midges as a potential natural control of Aphids. Further work is badly needed to find out whether midge larvae can, or do, act as control agents. There have been vague statements that Aphids in certain outbreaks have been controlled by the midge larvae, but so far there have been no exact proofs based on counts of numbers of Aphids killed, fecundity of midge compared with Aphid, the appetite of the midge larvae, etc.

Apanteles pistrinariae, sp. n.

♀. Black ; scape, mouthparts (or at least palpi), tegulae, costal veins, legs and abdomen entirely (except as follows), red testaceous ; hind tarsi, extreme apex of hind tibiae, extreme base of hind coxae, occasionally very slightly darkened ; 1st and 2nd tergites, and ovipositor sheaths, black ; 3rd tergite dark red, at least darker than ventrites and apical tergites ; flagellum brown ; stigma, metacarp, and most other veins, brown or light reddish brown.

Among the injurious insects with which the entomologist attempting to utilise the methods of biological control has to deal, there are many which live in such a way that a considerable proportion of their population is practically inaccessible to parasites and predators, even during the stages when they are attractive to their enemies. Insects of this type are not infrequently transported in their animal or vegetable food materials into other territories, escape attention during the process of inspection, and develop in their new homes into devastating pests. The Mediterranean Fruit Fly, the Codling Moth, and the European Corn Borer are familiar examples of this class of pest.