BIOLOGICAL NOTES ON SPARASION LATREILLE (HYMENOPTERA, SCELIONIDAE), AN EGG PARASITOID OF ATLANTICUS GIBBOSUS SCUDDER (ORTHOPTERA, TETTIGONIIDAE)

The first behavioral observations for any species of Sparasion and the first report of the genus Atlanticus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) as a host of Sparasion are presented. In Florida, a number of female wasps were observed burrowing headfirst into sandy areas. In every instance where a female burrowed into sand and the area subsequently was excav ated, an egg of Atlanticus, oriented vertically, was found at 12 to 15 mm beneath the surface. Females emerged headfirst from the sand if th ey remained underground for more than a few minutes. A single female w as excavated from the ground while in the process of ovipositing into an egg; she was at its uppermost end with her head oriented toward the surface.