Charles T. Brues.
A Japanese Dohrniphora Bred from Dead Snails (Diptera: Phoridæ).
Psyche 32:313-314, 1925.

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19251 A Japanese Dohrniphora Bred from Dead Snails 313 A JAPANESE DOHRNIPHORA BRED FROM DEAD
SNAILS (DIPTERA: PHORIDB)
Bussey Institution, Harvard University.
Several species of the genus Dohrniphora in various parts of the world regularly develop in the bodies of dead insects and molluscs. These forms are apparently never parasitic as their eggs are not deposited until after the death of the host. In 1914 Schmitz described' an African species, D. bequcerti which was obtained in East Africa by Dr. Joseph Bequaert who found it developing in the body of a decaying snail. Schmitz believes however that the species is probably not restricted to a shell-fish diet as he states later (1919, Biolog. Centralbl., vol. 37, p. 40) that larvae of the same form have been observed in soured milk.
Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell has just sent me a male and female of a species of Dohrniphora which I cannot distinguish from D. bequcerti on the basis of Schmitz's description. These are from Hongo, Wakasa, Japan and were bred by Mr. T. Okano from the bodies of dead snails of the genus Euhadra. Whether the Japanese examples are really cospecific with the African form mentioned above is perhaps doubtful, but such species are readily spread by commerce and such a wide distribution would be by no means surprising.
NOTES ON THE ANT FAUNA OF-OAK GALLS IN THE WOODS HOLE REGION.
Columbia Universit.~, New York City.
During August and September, 1925, several hundred "oak apples" (galls of Cynips (Amphibolips) confiuens Harris or a similar species) were examined from the region near Woods Hole, Massachusetts. These galls were in all cases picked up from the 1Jaarb. Natuurh. Genootsch. Limburg, p. 105.



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3 14 Psyche [December
ground under oak trees. Though only a small proportion were inhabited by ants, fourteen colonies of six forms of ants were found, including one tjhat has not hitherto been recorded from New England. There follows a list of the species found. 1. Myrmica punctiventris Roger. Woods Hole, five colonies. Workers, queens, males, eggs, larvae, and pupae. The four queens found were all dealated; three of these were in one colony, that also contained nineteen males and one male pupa. Identified by Prof. W. M. Wheeler who has also verified the identification of number 4 below.
2.
Leptothorax curvispinosus Mayr. Falmouth, one colony. One dealated queen, over 100 workers, numerous eggs and larvsa, a few pupae.
3. Leptothorax curvispinosus ambiguus Emery. Falmouth, one colony.
Workers, a few eggs, larvae, and pupae. This gall was under the same tree as that containing the colony of the typical form of the species.
4. Harpagoxenus americanus Emery. Tarpaulin Cove, Naushon Island, August 30; one colony.
One dealated queen,
nine workers; 152 workers of Leptothorax curvispinosus, several eggs, 21 larvae, 5 pupae. The pupae appear to be Lept,othorax, and several of the Leptothorax workers are evidently callows. The species is recorded from the District of Columbia; Beatty, Pennsylvania; Bronxville, New York. L. curvispinosus is its usual host (see Wheeler, 1910. Ants, p. 494). 5. Tapinoma sessile Say. Cotuit, Pocasset, Fa,lmouth, Naushon Island; five colonies. Workers, dealated queens, eggs, larvae, pupse. One of the colonies contained fifteen dealated queens.
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6. Lasius niger, var. american,us Emery. Woods Hole, one colony. Workers, pup. A populous colony (104 workers, 12 pupae), but no eggs, larvse, or sexual forms were found.



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