1888.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 611 



DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW BRACONID^ IN THE COLLECTION OF 

 THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



BY WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD. 



For some months past, under the direction of Dr. Riley, Curator of 

 Insects in the U. S. National Museum, it has been my pleasant duty to ar- 

 range the extensive collection of Bracpnidce and Ickneumonidce brought 

 together from various sources by the above institution. 



The collection contains not only the valuable collections of Dr. Riley 

 and the celebrated Belfrage collection, donated by the former gentle- 

 man some years ago, but the extensive reariugs of these insects made 

 by Dr. Riley during his administration as Entomologist of the TJ. S. 

 Department of Agriculture and while State Entomologist of Missouri. 



The insight that these rearings give into the habits of the different 

 species, genera, and groups into which these Hymenopters have been 

 divided is of incalculable value, both from a scientific and economic 

 standpoint; and the aid afforded to the systematist in classifying the 

 complexity of forms can not be too highly estimated, and is of the 

 greatest biological importance. 



The Braconidw have been but slightly studied in this country, and, 

 naturally in such an extensive collection, many uudescribed forms were 

 discovered. These, with the exception of the Microgasters and some 

 species in other genera, to which Dr. Riley has given especial attention, 

 are described in the following pages. 



All types of the new species described below will be found in the col- 

 lections of the IT. S. National Museum. I desire here to thank my 

 friends Dr. George H. Horn and Mr. E. T. Cresson for freely permitting 

 me to examine and make comparison with the types of these insects 

 contained in the collection of the American Entomological Society of 

 Philadelphia, whereby errors that might otherwise have been made 

 have been avoided. 



Subfamily BRACONINiE. 



VIPIO Latreille. 

 Vipio coloradensis u. sp. 



Female. — Length 7 mm ; ovipositor 9" ,m . Orange red; ocelli, antennae, 

 clvpeus, labruin, extreme tips of mandibles, all coxa? and trochanters, 

 middle and posterior legs, base of mesopleura, and anterior femora at 

 base and stripe above to near tip, black; a stripe along inner side of pos- 

 terior femora, the sutures of middle and posterior knees, and extreme 

 base of posterior coxas, behind, are red. The head is rostriform, smooth 

 and polished, with a slight sericeous pile; thorax smooth, polished, the 

 mesothorax trilobed, the middle lobe being prominent; scutellum 



