ART. 7 EEVISION OF COCCOPHAGUS COMPERE 109 



74. COCCOPHAGUS HOWARDI Masi 



Plate 9, Figure 72 ; Plate 11, Figure 115 



CoccopJiagus howardi Masi, Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agr. Portici, vol. 1, 1907, pp. 

 243^5, figs. 6-7.— Martelli, Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Art. Portici, vol. 2, 1908, 

 pp. 238-40, fig. 8.— Mercet, Trab, Mus. Cienc. Nat. No. 10, 1912, pp. 232-36, 

 fig. 56.— SiLVESTRi, Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agr, Portici, vol. 13, 1919, pp. 91-92. 



Francis Walker ^* described what he supposed to be Entedon 

 scutellaris Dalman and placed it in the genus Aphelinus. Mercet 

 refers this description doubtfully to synonymy with Coccophagus 

 howardi Masi and Silvestri confirms this synonymy. The latter 

 author also lists Aphelinus idaeus Walker ^^ and Myina scutelloris 

 Foerster ^^ together with the new name Aphelinus foersteri given 

 the latter by Dalla Torre ^^ as doubtful synonyms of C. hoioardi. 

 The writer is unable to confirm or deny this synonymy. 



Coccophagus howardi Masi is a rather distinctive species and 

 should be easily recognized providing the coloration is not too vari- 

 able. Masi, in his description, notes that the color is variable but 

 does not mention the fact that one cotype has the scutellum entirely 

 yellow. Masi's well known figure of the adult shows the scutellum 

 mostly blackish with only the apex yellow. It is probable that the 

 single female studied by me represents an extreme variant and that 

 the average specimen can best be recognized by Masi's excellent 

 description. 



Female. — Pronotum, mesoscutum, and axillae black. Parapsides 

 and tegulae suffused with brownish. Scvitellum completely orange 

 yellow. Metanotum, including the small, median piece, slightly 

 dingy lemon yellow. Propodeum mostly lemon yellow, on the meson 

 between the longitudinal carinae suffused with fuscous. Abdomen 

 mostly shining black. Frontovertex orange yellow with the ocellar 

 triangle blackish. Face and cheeks blackish to dark brown. An- 

 tennae including the scape and pedicel yellow. Sensoria brownish. 



In the specimen seen by me, the sensoria are more numerous than 

 are shown in Masi's figure; as an example the basal club joint, in 

 lateral view, shows six linear sensoria. A small spot on body at the 

 base of the fore wing beneath the tegulae brownish orange. Meso- 

 pleura mostly blackish with some brownish or orange suffusions. 

 Mesosternum yellow. Prepectus including the ventral part blackish. 

 Except for the coxae which are black (the fore legs are missing but 

 the missing parts are presumably concolorous with the middle and 

 hind legs) the legs are entirely pale lemon yellow. 



8*Monog. Chalcid., vol. 1, 1839, p. 6. 

 ^ Idem, p. 12. 



»" Beitr. Monog. Pterom., 1841, p. 441. 

 »^ Cat. Hym., vol. v5, 1898, p. 221. 



