THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 341 



NEW PARASITES OF THE GENUS MERAPORUS. 



BY E. S. TUCKER, 

 Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agric. 



In a small quantity of seed wheat obtained from the storehouse of a 

 grain dealer at Piano, Texas, in July, 1907, two dead bodies of a Chalcid 

 fly were found, together with a few specimens of the common grain weevil, 

 Calandra oryzce L. These parasites were found to agree closely, but still 

 doubtfully, with Meraporus calandrce, described as a Pteromalus by Dr. 

 L. O. Howard in the Annual Report of the (U. S.) Commissioner of 

 Agriculture for 1880, p. 273. On submitting the specimens to Mr. J. C. 

 Crawford, at the U. S. National Museum, he reported that they belonged 

 to the genus Meraporus, though the species was not calandrce. My 

 parasite thus appeared to be undescribed, and it was consequently cited 

 as a new species by Mr. VV. D. Pierce in his paper entitled, " A List of 

 Parasites Known to Attack American Rhyncophora " (Jr. Econ. Ent., I, 

 Dec, 1908, p. 384). 



The species is herewith described ; type and paratype as mentioned 

 are deposited in the U. S. National Museum. 



Meraporus utibiiis, n. sp. 



Female : Length, 1.5 mm.; head, thorax and abdomen steely black, 

 clothed with extremely fine and sparse silvery pubescence, except on base 

 of abdomen, and minute black bristles on occiput and dorsum of thorax ; 

 reticulately punctured on head, confusedly so on thorax; abdomen smooth* 

 shining, venter strongly keel-shaped. Head transverse, wider than thorax, 

 front slightly depressed medially for reception of antennal scapes, below 

 with convergent striae at oral margin ; antennae about as long as thorax, 

 dull reddish, pedicel and flagellum, excepting first and second ring-joints, 

 darkened above ; ring-joints together about two-thirds the length of 

 pedicel, first and second ring-joints small, but combined equal to length of 

 third, which is slightly smaller than first funicular joint, the latter a little 

 longer than wide, second to fifth funicular joints quadrate ; club with 

 widest expansion at juncture of first and second joints, tapering to a conical 

 point with third joint. Ocelli arranged in a curve. 



Thorax a little longer than wide, parapsidal furrows indistinct ; meta- 

 thorax punctured as on dorsum, tricarinate, the median carina short, the 

 lateral ones sinuate and extending to posterior corner of the short 

 metathoracic neck ; lateral folds indicated by basal foveolse only, spiracles 

 very small, broadly oval ; spiracular sulci very deep and distinct, 



October, 1910 



