A REVISION OF THE CHALCID-FLIES OF THE GENUS 

 HARMOLITA^ OF AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO. 



By W. J. Phillips and W. T. Emery. 

 Of tJie Bureau of Ihitonwloijy, United States Department of Agricuiture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



As the genus Uarmolita (Isosoma of authors) includes some species 

 of very great economic importance the writers have made this 

 detailed study of it in order that it may be possible to identify mate- 

 rial with certainty in the future. 



The genus, as it is known to the writers now, embraces 29 species, 

 17 of which are new to science. The biology of the different mem- 

 bers of the genus has been studied as far as possible in connection 

 with the structural characters, with the result that a number of new 

 species has been added, while some of the old ones nmst pass into 

 synonomy. Some species ^vhose biology is only partly known or 

 whoU}^ unknown may have to be split up further when more is 

 learned about their life histories, since the writers have erected new 

 species only where it seemed absolutely necessary. 



The writers wish to acknowledge their indebtedness to Mr. W. R. 

 Walton, chief of the Division of Cereal and Forage Insects of the 

 Bureau of Entomologj', for helpful suggestions and for kindly allow- 

 ing the artist of the division, Miss Esther Hart, to prepare the neces- 

 sary drawings; to Mr. A. B. Gahan for many kindly criticisms of 

 the manuscript; to many other m.cmbers of the division for collect- 

 ing and sending infested grasses, more particularly to Mr. George I. 

 Reeves, E. O. G. Kelly, C. N. Ainslie, C. W. Creel, and V. L. Wilder- 

 muth; to Dr. Henry Fox, Messrs. Philip Luginbill, and T. H. Parks 

 for help rendered while serving at different times as assistants to the 

 senior writer; to Mr. Derle Bennion, Salt Lake, Utah, to Prof. R. W. 

 Doane, Stanford University', California, and to the Hon. W. S. Eat- 

 liff, Richmond, Indiana, for sending material ; to Mr. J. C. Crawford 

 for helpful suggestions and for placing the types and collections of 

 the United States National Museum at the disposal of the writers. 



METHODS OP STUDY. 



As has been previously stated, upon taking up the study of this 

 group, it was decided to approach the problem from the biological 



* Order Hymenoptera. Family Eurytomidae. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 55— No. 2281. 



62055— 20— Proc.N.M. Vol.55— 29 433 



