126 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 1 6 part 3 



6. Genus Pycnocryptus 



Figure 311, a 



Pycnocryptus Thomson, 1873, Opuscula entomologica, fasc. 5, p. 500. Type: 

 (Ichneumon peregrinator Grayenhorst) ^= director (Thunberg); monobasic. 



Front wing 3.7 to 9.0 mm. long; thorax of moderate proportions 

 or somewhat elongate; frons unarmed; clypeus of medium size or 

 moderately large, rather weakly to rather strongly convex, its apical 

 margin broadly convex, with or without a median tooth; mesoscutum 

 moderately long and convex; notaulus sharp, reaching or surpassing 

 center of mesoscutum; epomia absent or very weak; prepectal carina 

 ending just above middle of hind margm of pronotum or contmued 

 dorsad to reach or ahnost reach the subtegular ridge; propodeum 

 moderately long, its transverse carinae weak to moderately strong, 

 often obsolete or obsolescent medially, the median portion of both 

 bowed forward, the apical carina sometunes forming a weak sublat- 

 eral crest; propodeal spiracle circular or elliptic; areolet of moderate 

 size, pentagonal; second recurrent vein strongly sinuate and reclivous; 

 discocubital vem only weakly arched, without a distinct ramellus; 

 nervulus opposite basal vein; mediella moderately arched; nervellus 

 broken far below the middle; axillus close to anal margin; first ab- 

 dominal segment moderately stout, its spiracle well beyond the middle ; 

 postpetiole moderately widened and strongly convex above; first tergite 

 lacking a lateral subbasal tooth, its median dorsal carinae present, 

 not strong but traceable to a little distad of spiracle, its dorsolateral 

 carina absent or mdistmct basad of the spiracle, its ventrolateral 

 carina moderately strong; second tergite mat or polished, with moder- 

 ately dense punctures; ovipositor sheath 0.7 to 1.7 as long as front 

 wing; ovipositor weakly compressed, its tip rather elongate, the 

 teeth on its lower valve rather numerous, oblique or subvertical. 



Pycnocryptus contains two species in Europe, a number in China 

 (undescribed) , and four in North America. One of the North Ameri- 

 can species is the European Pycnocryptus director, introduced into 

 our country and become extremely common since 1938. 



Key to the Nearctic species of Pycnocryptus 



1. Clypeus weakly convex, with a median apical point; prepectal carina obsolete 



or obsolescent above middle of hind margin of pronotum; hind coxa black; 



hind femur fulvoferruginous 1. platyaspis, new species 



Clypeus moderately convex, without a median apical point; prepectal carina 

 complete dorsad to subtegular ridge 2 



2. Coxae fulvous 3. alexanderi, new species 



Coxae black 3 



3. Tergites 5-7 ferruginous; tergite 2 of female mat and punctate; hind femur 



of female black 2. freemani, new species 



