BULLETIN 



OF THE 



WISCONSIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



Vol. 9. 



OCTOBER, 1911. 



No. 4 



ON THE IDENTITY OF THE MOST COMMON SPECIES 

 OF THE FAMILY TRICHOGRAMMATIDAB 



{HY MEN OPT ERA.)- 



By A. A. Girault. 



Although it is apparent to one to whom this family of minute 

 parasitic Hymenoptera is familiar, that so far we have not ex- 

 plored it very thoroughly, yet to the same person or persons there 

 is one species which to our present knowledge stands out most 

 prominently as a representative of the group. This species is the 

 one which has generally been cited as the Triclwgramma pretiosa 

 of Riley. Nearly every entomologist is familiar with the name, 

 but what the latter represents has become during the past few 

 years a mooted question. It is in the following pages that I hope 

 to define clearly just what the name does represent and to deter- 

 mine the correct one. 



The following citations referring to this species occur in the 

 literature and represent its synonomy. This synonomy has 

 not been worked out with satisfaction for the reason that the 

 types of its synonomic species (pretiosum, minutissium, inter- 

 medium, odontotoe) have been lost or were never deposited. 

 However, Howard (1889a) states definitely that he was unable 

 to separate pretiosum, minutum, minutissimum and intermedium 

 structurally, and that statement and those occurring in the orig- 

 inal descriptions of each named species, considered in connection 

 with the now known color variation of all of the species of the 

 genus, clearly unites these. As concerns odontotw, Howard, its. 

 author has stated to me that he does not know what it is ; its type 



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