58 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL. MUSEUM. vou 61. 



16. MICROPLITIS GORTYNAE Kiley. 



MicropUtis gortynae Riley, Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 4, ISSl, p. 304. 



Type. — In the United States National Museum. 



Iowa, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Colorado. 



Hosts. — Achatodes zeae Harris; Hydroeda immanis Grote; Papai- 

 pema nebris Guenee. 



Cocoons. — Eeddish-brown ; longitudinally ribbed, the ribs lighter 

 in color; gregarious, held together in irregular masses. 



A very small, smooth and shining species, with an unusuall}'^ 

 small, flat, and smooth scutellum; antennae short; body black, ex- 

 cept the membranous margins along the two basal abdominal plates. 



The National Collection contains, besides the types, eight speci- 

 mens reared by Miss Mary E. Murtfeldt, at Kirkwood, Missouri, 

 from AcJuitodes zeae; two specimens reared at Waterville, New 

 York, from Hydroecia immanis.^ by I. M. Hawley; a large series, 

 from Eye, New York, reared by H. Bird, from Papaipema nehris, 

 and collected specimens from Colorado, and Arlington, Virginia. 



17. MICROPLITIS NIGRITUS. new species. 



Closely related to croceipes., from which it differs in the subhya- 

 line wings, and in the much more slender and black posterior femora. 



Femcde. — Length 4 mm. ; face minutely, closely punctate and 

 somewhat opaque; the front, vertex and temples, practically im- 

 pun: tate, subpolished, the temples bulging distinctly a little beyond 

 the line of the eyes; antennae much shorter than the body; meso- 

 scutum smooth and very strongly shining, with only very shallow, 

 exceedingly minute punctures; mesopleurae mostly polished, hav- 

 ing only a small punctate area anteriorly, and provided with a long 

 curved longitudinal crenulate furrow; propodeum rugoso-recticu- 

 late, with a prominent median longitudinal carina; stigma a little 

 longer than the metacarpus; radius arising slightly before the mid- 

 dle of the stigma and strongly directed outward, no longer than the 

 1st transverse cubitus; posterior coxae very short; the posterior 

 femora slender; spurs of posterior tibiae a little shorter than half the 

 metatarsus; abdomen at least as long as the thorax, rather slender; 

 the 1st dorsal abdominal plate narrow, parallel-sided, nearly three 

 times as long as broad, base and apex apparently of equal breadth, 

 smooth and polished medially with indistinct roughening at the 

 sides; 2d tergite, like the following segments, smooth and polished; 

 hypopygium not surpassing the apex of the abdomen ; ovipositor 

 sheaths about one- fifth as long as the abdomen. Black ; mouth parts, 

 including the palpi, piceous ; antennae and the tegulae black ; wings 

 subhyaline, veins and stigma brown, the latter with an indistiictly 

 paler spot at base; all coxae, basal third of fore femora, and basal 

 two-thirds of middle and posterior femora, black; posterior tibiae 



