ART. 28 CHALCID FLIES NOETH OF MEXICO BALDUF 15 



2. DECATOMA FLAVA Ashmead 



Plate 1, Figxjbe 2; Plate 4, Figures 39 and 42 



Decatoma flava Ashmead, Can. Eut., vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 134, 135, June, 1881. — 



Triqgeeson, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer., vol. 7, pp. 8-10, 1914. 

 Decatoma catesbaei Ashmead. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 9, p. xxxii, 1881. 



Kesembles D. vacciniicola Balduf in superficial appearance, but 

 the eyes are less prominent, the antennal segments are yellow, and the 

 funicular joints scarcely longer than broad ; the whole body, except 

 in part the propodeum and dorsal surface of abdomen, is yellow and 

 unmarked with black or brown, the submarginal band is distinctly 

 broader and darker brown, and the average specimen is larger in the 

 present species. This is one of the most nearly yellow species of the 

 genus. 



Female. — Length 2 to 2.7 mm., head, thorax, and legs almost en- 

 tirely yellow of various shades (greenish yellow in fresh specimens, 

 Ashmead), except antennae, which are dull brownish yellow, some- 

 limes metapleura more or less black below, hind femora on inner disk 

 and hind tibiae on outer disk, deep brown ; submarginal band medium 

 to dark brown in newer material, faded light brown in Ashmead's 

 paratypes, reaching two-thirds to hind edge of wing, proximal 

 margin almost straight and apical margin broadly and uniformly 

 rounded, sometimes more sharply dilated, these edges extending 

 inostly beyond base of stigma and apex of stigmal vein respectively, 

 apex truncate, also a definite narrow angular secondary band of the 

 same color proximad of the main band; abdomen brownish yellow. 



Length of head four-sevenths of width, barely convex behind, 

 face distinctly produced and rounded transversely from above and 

 sloping rather sharply downward and forward from the vertex, 

 eyes but feebly set apart from face by marginal depressions, vertex 

 moderately convex; pedicel slightly shorter than Fl; F2 to F5 each 

 slightl}' longer than broad, or as broad as long ; antennae moderately 

 hairy, hairs whitish; surface of front similarly hairy, front and 

 genae reticulate-punctate, basal half of malar groove broad, rest 

 narrow, malar space mostly finely wrinkled, ocellar area for most 

 part very finely and densely punctate ; pronotum distinctly narrower 

 than head but nearly as broad as mesothorax at maximum width, 

 these segments umbilicately punctate above, punctures of scutel 

 coarser, mesopleura rather coarsely aciculato, and finely punctate; 

 13 or 14 setae on submarginal vein ; lateral surfaces of abdomen very 

 finely granulose, the dorsal surface sometimes less so. 



Male. — Length 2.5 mm., slenderer than female : colored as female, 

 but dorso-lateral area on each side of propodeal groove in front black, 

 venter of propodeum with a small black area; submarginal band 

 medium to dark brown, and secondary band definite; head, antennae, 

 and thorax sculptured and clothed like female; Fl at least as long 



