European Corn Borer

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Notes on North American Diptera with Descriptions of New Species in the Collection of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History

In the course of my work of identifying and arranging the Diptera in the collection of the State Laboratory of Natural History I have found several which belong to apparently undescribed species. I have in many cases given to these forms manuscript names, and as certain of the species may figure in the publications of the Laboratory, or in those of the State Entomologist, it is deemed advisable to publish descriptions of these species so as to validate the names under which they stand in the collection.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

The North American Species of the Genus Tiphia (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) in the Collection of the Illinois State Natural History Survey

In the course of the work upon white-grubs by various members of the staff of the Illinois State Entomologist's office many specimens of the parasitic hymenopterous genus Tiphia have been obtained either by rearing from the larvae or pupae or in general collections of imagines. About two years ago I undertook to work up this mass of material with a view to determining how many species there are affecting white-grubs in Illinois and also to determine, in so far as our material permits, the distribution of the various species. At the outset of my work I encountered great difficulties to progress, chief of which was the extremely unsatisfactory nature of the descriptions of most of the previously described forms. Coupled with this is the fact that the species are remarkably closely related, presenting but few characters that are appreciable except after considerable study. After several months of intermittent study of our material, I was forced to the conclusion that it was necessary for me to obtain specimens from more diverse localities in order to enable me to determine satisfactorily whether certain trivial characters possessed a specific significance; consequently on every possible occasion during my field work in 1917, I collected specimens of Tiphia, and I also borrowed a large number of specimens from Mr. Nathan Banks, the latter containing examples from many states in the Union.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe