The Tick Parasite Ixodiphagus texamts in Nymphs and Larvae of Haemaphysalis leporis-palustris in Minnesota.

spread interest in the discovery and application of factors leading toward control of ticks. The use of insect parasites as a means of control has occupied a prominent place in studies on the problem. Attempts to establish tick-parasite colonies have been reported by Cooley and Kohls (I934), Lounsbury (I908), and Larrousse, King and Wolbach (1928). The insect parasites of ticks are minute chalcidoids belonging to the family Encyrtidae. Howard (I907) reported the occurrence of Ixodiphagus texanus in nymphs of Haemaphysalis leporis-palustris taken from a cottontail rabbit in Jackson County, Texas. Howard (1908) created a new genus and species for another parasite, Hunterellus hookeri, recovered from nymphs of Rhipicephalus sanguineus taken from a dog at Corpus Christi, Texas. Buysson (I912) reported a species, Ixodiphagus caucurtei, taken from nymphs of Ixodes ricinus occurring on deer in France. Hunterellus hookeri has been reported over a widespread area in a great number of hosts. Specimens have been taken from nymphs of ticks belonging to five genera: Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor, and Hyalomma. Recovery has been accomplished in Texas, California, South Carolina, Florida, Montana, Portugese East Africa, Brazil, Porto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, South India, Indo-China, Natal, the Transvaal, Pretoria district of South Africa, and Nigeria, West Africa. H. hookeri has a wider distribution in nature than does