Sex ratio.—4 ♀♀:1 ♂ from ovipositions by isolated females. In the one oötheca collected in the field, the ratio was 21.6 ♀♀:1 ♂. Parthenogenesis exists; the unfertilized eggs produced only males.
Anastatus tenuipes Bolívar y Pieltain
Synonymy.—Anastatus blattidarum Ferrière. Dr. C. Ferrière (personal communication, 1957) is of the opinion that his A. blattidarum is a synonym of A. tenuipes. He stated "I have never been able to see the unique type of A. tenuipes B. y P., which is in Madrid, but the description agrees with A. blattidarum. I had not yet knowledge of Bolívar's description, when describing my species. The parasite of cockroaches eggs [Supella supellectilium] should be called A. tenuipes Bol." Mani (1938) synonymized Solindenia blattiphagus Mani with Anastatus blattidarum.
Natural hosts.—Supella supellectilium, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (Ferrière, 1930, 1935); U.S.A., Arizona (Flock, 1941); Egypt (Alfieri, in Hafez and Afifi, 1956). Ohio (Hull and Davidson, 1958).
Periplaneta americana, India (Burks in Roth and Willis, 1954a).
Cockroach, Hawaii (Weber, 1951); India (Mani, 1936).
The following is based on parasites that developed on eggs of Supella supellectilium (Flock, 1941): Adult behavior.—Wasp may be seen running rapidly on walls in buildings infested with the cockroach host. The wasp rarely flies but hops proficiently; when disturbed it can hop from several inches to several feet. The female licks up the drop of fluid that oozes from the oviposition puncture. Females die in a few days, but if fed honey and water may live two weeks. Oviposition.—The female selects an oötheca by feeling with her antennae. Flock stated, without citing experimental evidence, that the age of the egg case was apparently the chief factor determining choice. The wasp took 15-45 minutes to oviposit. Three females oviposited simultaneously into a single oötheca; a single female repeatedly oviposited into one oötheca at intervals. Development.—Completed in an average of 32.6 days at a constant temperature of 82° F.
Number of parasites per oötheca.—Average about 10.7 (range 4-16) (Flock, 1941); 15 (Ferrière, 1935).
Sex ratio.—4 ♀♀:1 ♂ (Ferrière, 1935); average of 6 ♀♀:1 ♂ (Flock, 1941). Parthenogenesis occurs; the unfertilized eggs produced only males (Flock, 1941).
Distribution.—U.S.A.: Maryland, south to Florida, west to Illinois, Kansas, and Arizona. Guatemala; Hawaii; India; Egypt; Sudan. (Burks, personal communication, 1956).