ICHNEUMON-FLIES — GELINAE : MESOSTENINI 325 



light brown; front and middle legs blackish brown to ferruginous or 

 brownish fulvous, their fu'st trochanters often darker than the rest; 

 hind coxa and trochanters blacldsh to fulvous, usually blackish; hind 

 femur blackish to fulvous, usually fulvous; hind tibia and tarsus 

 fuscous to brownish fulvous; wings weakly infuscate; abdomen 

 ferruginous or fulvoferruginous, its fu'st segment infuscate basally, 

 its tergites 4-8 usually fuscous, the median part of apical margin of 

 tergites 6 and 7 usually white, and sometimes tergite 5 with a small 

 median apical white mark. 



This species, as defined, is extraordinarily variable in both structure 

 and color. It seems likely that we have here a mixed series that will 

 ultimately be shown to comprise about six discrete species, plus some 

 subspecies. This is unprovable, however, on the basis of specimens 

 available now, so we have included all of the complex under a single 

 specific naine. The most impressive differences are in size, shape of 

 clypeus, width of temple, punctation and wrinkling of mesopleurum, 

 course and strength of apical carina of propodeum, strength and 

 density of punctures on the tergites, and coloration of legs and apical 

 tergites. Some of these dift'erences correlate with size and geographic 

 distribution. 



Since the type is destroyed, identification of Walsh's '^Cryptus 

 albisoleatus" rests on the original description. Features in the 

 description which point particularly to the present species are the short 

 stout antenna, color of legs, stout first tergite, and white spot on 

 tergite 7. We have seen no other species with this combmation of 

 characters. 



Specimens (17 cT, 129): From Alaska (Matanuska) ; Alberta (Lake 

 Louise) ; Arizona (near Alpine) ; "Greys Mills"; Iowa (Muscatine Co.) ; 

 Maine (Paris and Southwest Harbor) ; Michigan (Ann Arbor, Douglas 

 Lake, Gratiot Co., Midland Co., Naubinway, and Wexford Co.); 

 Minnesota (Itasca Park) ; New Hampshire (Frankhn) ; Northwest 

 Territories (Aklavik) ; Ontario (Bells Corners, Jockvale in Carleton 

 Co., Jordan, and Leamington); Quebec (Nominingue) ; and Virginia 

 (Falls Church). 



Most collection dates are from June 3 to July 8. Those outside 

 of this range are: May 22 in Midland Co., Mich.; May 27 at Lea- 

 mington, Ont.; May 28 near Alpine, Ariz.; May 30 in Wexford Co., 

 Mich.; July 13 at Franklin, N.H.; and July 17 at Lake Louise, Alta. 



Reared specimens are as follows : 29, from MegachiUdae in decayed 

 log, Aklavik, N.W.T., June 26 and 30, 1956, R. E. Leech. This host 

 record needs confu'mation, as related species have spider eggs as hosts. 



This species is transcontinental in the Canadian and Transition 

 zones. 



