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



F. E. Brooks, 9, from Wissadula lozani (Malvaceae), Brownsville, 

 Tex , May 5, 1919, Diven. 



The typical habitat of the species is thickets of deciduous trees, 

 shrubs, and vines with some amount of dead wood. The males are 

 very active fliers. The females are seen flying, on fohage, or crawling 

 along branches in the interior of a bush or thicket. 



This species is found in the Carolinian, Austroriparian, and Tropical 

 faunas, increasing in abundance southward. The usual habitat is 

 thickets. 



4. Genus Cryptohelcostizus 



Figure 325,b 



Cryptohelcostizus Cushman, 1919, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 55, p. 534. Type: 

 (Cryptohelcostizus rufigaster Cu&hman) = alamedensis (Ashmead); original 

 designation. 



Front wing 5.3 to 11.0 mm. long; clypeus rather small, short, convex 

 except that it is flattened or a little concave near apex, broadly trun- 

 cate, without a median tooth; sternaulus absent; pleural carina absent; 

 basal carina of propodeum complete, evenly arcuate or angled forward a 

 little at center; apical carina of propodeum absent; areolet very large, 

 pentagonal; nervulus basad of basal vein by about 0.5 its length; 

 nervellus broken a little below the middle; first abdominal segment 

 without a subbasal lateral tooth and without median dorsal carinae, 

 its spiracle at or a little basad of its midlength; ovipositor sheath 0.50 

 to 0.78 as long as front wing; ridges on ovipositor tip rather distant. 



The genus Cryptohelcostizus is entirely Nearctic. There is one 

 species in southeastern United States and a number in the Southwest, 

 of which one ranges northward to British Columbia. Specimens are 

 scarce in collections and the account below suffers from lack of 

 material. 



The species are parasitic on borers in branches or twigs of trees 

 and shrubs, in arid or semiarid places. Buprestidae are the usual 

 hosts. 



Key to the species of Cryptohelcostizus 



1. Wings black or strongly infuscate; areolet large, about 0.78 as high as radial 



ceU 2 



Wings hyaline to moderately infuscate; areolet rather small, about 0.6 as high 

 as radial cell 5 



2. Hairs on front face of hind femur moderately dense, their sockets separated 



by about 0.7 the length of the hairs; punctures on mesopleurum separated 



by about 0.7 their diameter 1. dichrous Viereck 



Hairs on front face of hind femur sparse, tlieir sockets separated by about 

 2.0 the length of the hairs; punctures on mesopleurum separated by about 

 0.4 their diameter 3 



3. Hind margin of temple, and its occipital carina, strongly bulged outward at 



level of lower corner of eye; femora ferruginous. . 3. genalis, new species 



