AST. 7 EEVISION OP COCCOPHAGUS COMPEEE 7 



Thorax. — The notal sclerites of the thorax offer characters of good 

 taxonomic value. The scutellum may be strongly transverse and 

 much shorter than the mesoscutum or it may be almost as long as 

 wide and longer than the mesoscutum. Many species appear to have 

 the scutellum longer than wide but this is an optical illusion for 

 measurements always showed the scutellum to be actually a trifle 

 wider than long. The so-called " post-scutellum " or median part 

 of the metanotum, which is usually differentiated by sculpture and 

 coloration, may be small and inconspicuous or large and prominent. 

 A large prominent median piece is usually correlated with a trans- 

 verse scutellum. The shape of the propodeum is variable but this 

 character has been generally disregarded because of the difficulty 

 of obtaining specimens in which this sclerite is mounted in a uni- 

 form position. 



Abdomen. — The shape and size of the abdomen offers an excellent 

 character, easily seen, but it can not be satisfactorily used since it is 

 particularly liable to distortion by shrinkage in dried specimens on 

 tags and by crushing or flattening in slide mounted specimens. Some 

 species have a relatively narrow abdomen and exserted ovipositor, 

 others have a rotund abdomen and concealed ovipositor. The rela- 

 tive lengths of the ovipositor as seen through the body wall of semi- 

 transparent, balsam mounted specimens have proven of value and 

 they have definitely enabled the recognition of certain species pre- 

 viously confused. C. Mvittatus, new species was confused with C. 

 longifasciatus Howard before the marked difference in the relative 

 lengths of the ovipositors was discovered. The outer plates of the 

 ovipositor are extremely variable and would prove of value in a 

 system of classification if properly prepared specimens were avail- 

 able for study. On the sides of the third, fourth, and fifth tergites 

 of many dark colored species are small areas of microscopic mark- 

 ings which have been of aid in the recognition of certain species very 

 closely alike. 



Wings. — Many species of Coccophagus have a characteristically 

 shaped fore wing, in which the anterior and posterior margins ex- 

 pand evenly without an accentuated, posterior, apical bulge and the 

 apical anterior curvature is evenly rounded. The relative lengths of 

 the submarginal and marginal veins furnish taxonomic characters of 

 considerable value. The postmarginal vein is short and is present 

 in most species, although in a few it is entirely absent. The stigmal 

 vein is short with an apical knob or swelling and is of value in en- 

 abling the recognition of species. The greater part of the forewing 

 is usually densely ciliated and the marginal fringe is short. There 

 is no hairless streak obliquely descending from under the stigmal 

 vein but in some species there is a more or less complete hairless 

 streak extending from beneath the apical termination of the sub- 



