PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 22, NO. 9, DEC., IQ2O 



specimens the whole propodeum honey-yellow while the abdomen 

 above and below is similarly colored. The mesosternum is more 

 or less metallic. These colorational differences were so striking 

 that the writer had little hesitancy in describing flaricoxus as a 

 new species especially since they appeared to be confirmed by two 

 or three very slight sculptural differences. Acquisition of addi- 

 tional material, largely reared has, however, demonstrated that 

 there is almost a perfect gradation in color from the one form to 

 the other. I am now convinced that both forms represent the 

 same species, the two type series probably representing the ex- 

 tremes of variation. 



Websterellus harrisi Fitch. 



Torymus (sp.) Harris, Rept. on Ins. Inj. to Veg., 1852, p. 442-3 (2nd ed.). 

 Torymus harrisii Fitch, 7th Rept. Ins. N. Y., 1862, p. 152-3. 

 Torymus (sp.) Harris, Ins. Inj. to Veg., 1863, p. 556 (Flint ed.). 

 Websterellus tritici Ashmead, Bull. Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta., 1, 1893, p. 164; PI. 



II, figs. 1 and 2; PI. Ill, figs. 3-4. 



Cryptopristus americanus Girault, Descriptiones Stellarum Novarum, I'M 7, 



p. 8. 



Fitch's types of this species are apparently lost. At least the 

 writer has failed to locate them in the Fitch collection, or else- 

 where in the National Museum. 



The description by Fitch, supplemented by that of Harris, 

 agrees in every way with Websterellus tritici Ashmead except that 

 the abdomen of tritici, when viewed through a binocular micro- 

 scope, is seen to be rather distinctly reticulately sculptured in- 

 stead of smooth and polished as stated by Harris. Viewed 

 through a hand lens, however, this sculpture is practically in- 

 visible and the whole abdomen has a distinctly shining appear- 

 ance. Since the description by Harris was undoubtedly drawn 

 with the aid of a hand lens the apparent discrepancy between the 

 description and the type of tritici is thus explained. No other 

 parasite upon joint-worms at present known in America, could by 

 any possibility be Fitch's species, and in view of the very satis- 

 factory agreement the writer has no hesitation in declaring 

 tritici Ashmead a synonym of harrisi Fitch. The species is type 

 of the genus Websterellus. 



Cryptopristus americanus Girault was described from one 

 female specimen reared from (Isosoma) Harmolita at Wellington, 

 Kansas, by E. G. Kelly. The type has been compared with the 

 types of tritici and agrees in every essential detail. 



Harris' and Fitch's specimens were from Virginia; the types 

 of tritici from Wooster, Ohio; the type of americana from Kansas. 

 This comprises the distribution of the species as known at the 

 present time. 



