186 PROCEEDINGS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Praon americanus Ashmead. 



Diseretus americanus Ashmead, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. 1888. 

 p. 670. 



Diseretus websteri Ashmead, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, p. 670. 



Diseretus brunneiventris Ashmead, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, 

 p. 671. 



In the National Museum are four specimens collected at 

 L,afayette, Indiana, by Prof. F. M. Webster, from which Dr. 

 Ashmead described three species, Diiereliis anicricunns, D. 

 websteri, and D, lu iinneiventris. The wing venation of all 

 four types coincides exactly with the description of the genus 

 Praon Hal. They run directly in Dr. Ashmead's own table 

 of genera to that genus and cannot, by the same table or by 

 any other known to the writer, be traced to Diceretits. The 

 cubital vein is distinctly present, separating the first cubital 

 and first discoidal cells ; the transverse cubital nervures are 

 absent; there is a complete median cell in the posterior wing; 

 the prothorax is tomentose and gibbous, the parapsidal furrows 

 distinct; the metathorax is smooth. These characters plainly 

 place Ashmead' s specimens in the genus Praon. Furthermore, 

 after a careful comparison of the types of the three species, I 

 am convinced that all are the same species. The antennae of 

 the two types of americanus (both males) are 18-jointed, 

 while the types of the other two supposed species (also males) 

 have antennae with 19 joints. The color-pattern for all four 

 specimens is alike, with only a slight variation in intensity of 

 coloring which one will find in any series of specimens. One 

 character is common to all four specimens which I have seen 

 in but one other Praon, and that is that the recurrent nervure 

 is almost entirely effaced, leaving the first discoidal cell open 

 or incomplete. Taking into consideration the total absence 

 of any good character upon which they may be separated, the 

 presence in common of the unusual venational character men- 

 tioned, and the fact that all the specimens are from the same 

 locality, there seems to be no good reason for not considering 

 them as all belonging to the same species. Since the descrip- 

 tion of americanus has the page preference that name is re- 

 tained for the species. It is not improbable that the species is 

 really a synonym of Praon simitlans Prov. 



Aphidius ribis Haliday. 



Aphidius ribis Haliday, Entom. Magaz., II, 1834, p. 101. 

 Aphidius ribis Ashmead, Proc. Wash. Ent. Soc., rv, 1901, p. 167. 



This species was first described by Haliday in 1834, he hav- 

 ing reared it in England from Myzns ribis, the currant aphis. 



