THE TRIBE CHALCIDINI — BURKS 327 



There is invariably a row of four or six small, round colored spots 

 along the anterior dorsal margin of the pronotum, although these 

 markings are rather indistinct in some specimens. 



This group is clearly related to some species of the femorata group ; 

 several, such as S. hirtifemora (Ashmead) and S. elachis, new species, 

 are excluded from this group and placed in the femorata group only 

 by the possession of a frontogenal suture and a somewhat narrower 

 malar space. More than half the material of Chalcidini I have ob- 

 tained for study has been specimens referable to the side group. 

 Some of the species in this group are parasites of insect pests, and 

 numerous references to them have appeared in the economic liter- 

 ature. It has been possible to secure for study much of the material 

 on which these references were based. As the types for these species 

 have not, so far as I know, been studied before, it is not surprising 

 that misidentifications should have occurred. Specific differences in 

 this group are much more critical than in the other groups of the 

 genus, and the "habitus" of all the species is quite similar. 



The color pattern of all species in this group is fundamentally the 

 same. Hence, a generalized color description is given here for all 

 the species of the group. This applies, with slight discrepancies, to 

 all the species. 



Color description. — Black with small, variable greenish-white, red, 

 or yellow spots: mandibles, variable spots on frons, two mesal and 

 four lateral spots on dorsal side of pronotum, anterolateral angles of 

 mesopraescutum, and scutum, large lateral spots on mesoscutellum, 

 variable ventral, basal, and apical spots on outer surface of meta- 

 femur, usually a lateral row of two to six spots on each side of gaster, 

 greenish white, red or yellow; abdominal segments 3 to 5 of female 

 often dull red. Teneral specimens are rufous instead of black. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF THE STOE GROUP 



1. Male, ninth abdominal sternite exposed, antennal scape broad 2 



Female, ninth abdominal steruite concealed, antennal scape 



narrow 8 



2. Mesopraescutum with two rounded, impunctate anterior eleva- 



tions dema (p. 330) 



Mesopraescutum with surface uniformly covered with large 



punctures, surface not elevated 3 



3. Antennal scape extremely stout, with a prominent, darkened 



anterior carina (fig. 9, I), apex exceeding level of vertex 4 



Antennal scape more slender, without a darkened anterior car- 

 ina (fig. 9, m-o), apex not exceeding level of vertex 5 



4. Antennae inserted dorsad of ventral margins of compound eyes, 

 malar space less than two-thirds height of compound eye; 

 basal lamina of petiole forming a 60"" to 70° angle with dorsal 

 surface of petiole (as in fig. 13, ;) sanguineiventris (p. 335) 



