NO. 2178, THE GENUS BRACON FABRICIUS— MORRISON. 317 



The Zeiss eyepiece 4 and objective A3 were used, giving a magnifica- 

 tion of 65X. As these head measurements are at best merely rela- 

 tive, it was not thought worth while to reduce them to actual fractions 

 of a millimeter. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. 



There are breeding and host records for only one of the American 

 species of this genus. Bracon vulgaris (Cresson) has been reported 

 as a parasite of the sugar-beet web-worm, Loxestege sticticalis Linneaus, 

 both by Dr. L. O. Howard of the Bureau of Entomology, United 

 States Department of Agriculture,^ and by Prof. C. P. Gillette, of 

 the Colorado Experiment Station.^ 



SPECIFIC NAMES. 



Although I am personally strongly opposed to such a pohcy, I 

 have taken the names of several of the new species from those of 

 various entomologists, since the transferal of the genus name Bracon 

 to this group of species has brought into consideration over 800 valid 

 specific names, and has practically eliminated the possibility of 

 choosing a descriptive name somewhat characteristic of the insect 

 which has not already been used for some species credited to the genus 

 Bracon. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS BEACON FABEICIUS (CREMNOPS OF FORSTER AND AUTHORS). 



g}. Apical pits of the pronotum united, and forming a deep transverse groove across 



the apex of the pronotum slossonae, new species. 



a^. Apical pits of the pronotmu separated. 



6^ Apex of the antennal scape produced into a short tooth in front; body red, 

 venter black, propodemn red in female, black in male; hind tibiae with a 



cluster of about 15 apical spines vulgaris (Cresson.) 



6^. Apical margin of the antennal scape rounded off, not produced into a point, 

 c^. Hind angles of the mesoscutum produced into a finger like lobe on each 

 side of the scutellum; black, abdomen red, propodeum variable; hind 



tibiae with 2 apical spines covistochi, new species. 



c^. Hind angles of the mesoscutum at most produced into a vertically 

 compressed rounded lobe. 

 d^. Head and all of the thorax in front of the metathorax black. 



e ' . Propodeum and metathorax red montrealensis, new species. 



e ^. Propodeum and metathorax black ashmeadi, new species. 



d"^. At least the dorsum and part of the sides of the mesothorax red. 



f^. Thorax and propodeum black, except the dorsum and a por- 

 tion of the mesopleurae and metapleurae; hind tibiae with 



two apical spines kelloggii, new species. 



/^. Thorax red , at most the prothorax and venter black. 



g^. Mesopleural furrow long, crenulate, ciu-ved upwards till its 

 end is almost parallel with the suture between the meso- 

 and metapleurum; propodeum black, the sides dull red; 

 hind tibiae with an apical cluster of about 17 spines. 



calif ornicus, new species. 



» Insect Life, vol. 6, 1894, p. 371, fig. 30. 



?Colo, Agr. Exp. Sta, Bull. 98, 1905, p. 10, pi. 1, fig. 8, 



