THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 157 



NEW CYNIPIDAE. 



BY C. P. GILLETTE, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO. 



Rhodites, Hartig 



R. AREFACTUS, 11. Sp. 



The galls are dense, corky enlargements of small shoots, usually close 

 to the stem from which the shoot arises, and the shoot is usually dead 

 beyond the gall when the latter is mature. The galls are irregular in 

 shape, vary from one-half to seven-eights of an inch in diameter, and are 

 polythalamous. The surface is of a rusty colour, is finely wrinkled, and 

 reminds me of dried fruit. The surface appears dry and hard, but it is 

 easily dented with the finger-nail and is always free from spines. 



Described from eighteen galls collected in March in the vicinity of 

 Fort Collins, Colorado. Galls brought into the laboratory March 7th, 

 began giving flies March 23rd. 



Gall-flies. — Females — General colour, cinnamon-rufous ; head entirely 

 rufous, except a blackish area between either compound eye and the 

 mouth ; under a power of 60 diameters the lower face appears rather 

 coarsely wrinkled, the wrinkles converging towards the mouth, the upper 

 face, vertex and occiput very finely rugose ; the face sparsely set with a 

 short gray pubescense ; antennae short, the first three joints, and some- 

 times the base of the third, rufous, the remaining joints black ; number of 

 joints, 14. Thorax, rufous above, with a black suture separating the 

 mesothorax and scutellum, parapsidal grooves entire, broad, moderately 

 deep, well separated at the scutellum, and with numerous elevated lines 

 crossing them ; median groove distinct and extending well forward. The 

 surface of the thorax is finely rugose, and, in a proper light, shows 

 numerous punctures, each puncture bearing a short yellowish hair. 

 Scutellum, coarsely wrinkled near the margin, and less coarsely wrinkled 

 on the central portion, which is considerably elevated, transverse groove 

 at base, colour rufous. Mesopleura, except spot just beneath the wings, 

 rufous, sutures, metathorax and sternum black or blackish ; entire pleura 

 rugose. Abdomen rufous, with venter and posterior half of dorsum 

 blackish, all abdominal segments covered with a microscopic network of 

 irnpressed lines, most prominent on the terminal segments. Wings but 

 little smoky, radial area not at all closed along the costal margin, areolet 

 distinct and rather small. Feet, including the coxae, entirely rufous, the 

 claws only being black. Length, from 3^ to 4)/^ mm, 



