PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



ssued 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 99 Washington: 1949 No. 3237 



THE SPECIES OF ICHNEUMON-FLIES OF THE GENUS 

 CARDIOCHILES OCCURRING IN AMERICA NORTH OF 

 MEXICO 



By YiNG-Tou Mao 



The Cardiochilinae are a comparative!}' small subfamily of 

 ichneumon-flies of the family Braconidae. Cardiochiles Nees is the 

 only genus in North America. It is a distinct group, differing rather 

 noticeably from other Braconidae in having the third abscissa of 

 radius arched forward (pi. 4, figs. 4, 5) . The species tend to fall into 

 two well-defined groups, one with hairy eyes and the habitus of a 

 microgasterine and the other with bare eyes and the habitus of a 

 sawfly. Although apparently best represented in the southern part of 

 the United States, Cardiochiles occurs as far north as southern Canada. 

 Little is known concerning the host relationships of members of the 

 genus. The hosts are probably always lepidopterous larvae, but few 

 species have been reared. C. nigriceps Viereck is a conspicuous excep- 

 tion. It has been obtained abundantly from larvae of the tobacco hwd.- 

 worm. Heliothis vlrescens (Fabricius). 



This study was carried out under a fellowship granted by the 

 Science, Education and Art Division, Department of State, Wash- 

 ington, D. C, U. S. A. The problem was suggested by C. F. W. Muese- 

 beck. Division of Insect Identification, U. S. Bureau of Entomology 

 and Plant Quarantine, to whom the author is very much indebted for 

 his guidance during the course of the investigation. Thanks are due 

 to Dr. H. K. Townes, Jr., R. A. Cushman, and A. B. Gahan of the 

 same Division for their valuable suggestions and criticisms. The 

 author is also indebted to Dr. E. A. Chapin, curator of insects, U. S. 

 National Museum, for the use of facilities at the Museum, and to Miss 



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