276 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEQM vol.84 



18. EXETASTES OBSCURUS Cresson 



Plate 18, Figure 44; Plate 21, Figure 110 



Exeiastes decolorahis Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Pliiladelphia, vol. 4, p. 280, 1865; 



male. New synonymy. 

 Exetastes obscnrus Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Philadelphia, vol. 4, p. 281, 1865, 



female. — CushmaxN, in Leonard, Insects of New York, p. 932, 1928. 

 Exetastes fas'npennis Howard (not Cresson), Insect book, pi. 10, fig. 7, 1903. 



Very closely allied to bijenestratus but immediately distinguishable 

 in the female by the paler, at most faintly fasciate wings. Differing 

 also from the above description of bijenestratus as follows: 



Female. — Cheeks in front view slightlj^ convex, their extended angle 

 nearly right; malar space as long as basal width of mandible; junction 

 of occipital and hj^postomal carinae distant from base of mandible 

 only about half width of latter; eyes slightly shorter than width of 

 face; antenna shorter, stouter, and more tapering, about SO-jointed, 

 basal joint of flagellum twice as long as second, middle joints as thick 

 as long; propodeum almost without trace of apical carina and longi- 

 tudinal groove. 



Occiput, frons below, coxae basally and within, trochanter above, 

 and femora above frequently more or less black or piceous; flagellum 

 except annuhis entirely black, the annuius frequentl}^ obscure; wings 

 nearly hyaline with at most faint indications of fasciae; stigma entirely 

 pale. 



Male. — Malar space shorter (somewhat more than half as long as 

 basal width of mandible) ; ocelli larger; antennae longer with subapical 

 joints longer than thick; apical carina of propodeum indicated medi- 

 ally. Black of head and thorax more extensive; head otherwise 

 largely yellow. 



Type locality. — Colorado. 



Type. — Of obscurus no. 1609 and of decoloratus no. 1616, Acad. 

 Nat. Sci. Pliiladelphia. 



Remarks. — In addition to the types the material examined includes 

 specimens from the Atlantic States from jSIassachusetts to South 

 Carolina, and from Ohio, Manitoba, and Oregon. Both sexes, especi- 

 ally the male, exhibit wide variation in color, three males that I 

 somewhat doubtfully include having the entire thorax, except the 

 yellow' scutellum and two ferruginous spots on the propodeum, black, 

 and the legs also more extensively black. About half the females 

 and several males lack most of the black color of the legs. 



All specimens, except those from Manitoba and Oregon, which bear 

 dates in September, were taken in October and November. Three 

 females and one male w-ere reared from Porosagrotis vetusta Walker 

 at The Dalles, Oreg., by L. P. Rockwood, September 26 to October 4, 

 1928. Part of the material studied is in the Canadian National 

 Collection and the American Museum of Natural History. 



