NO. 2178. THE GENUS BRACON FABRICIUS—MORRISON. 323 



altliougii usually clear red, or orange-red; length, average, about 

 3.75 mm., ovipositor pale red, valves blackish, about as long, or when 

 fully retracted, a little shorter than the abdomen. 



Male. — Appears to resemble the female rather closely, except as 

 follows: Head usually with considerably more black on the cheeks, 

 and with the apex of the vertex around and between the ocelli black; 

 propodeum and usually the metathorax black, more or less of the 

 metapleurae often paler; generally all of the hind tibiae except a 

 rather narrow band above the middle black or blackish; the distinct 

 carinae of the propodeum often broken down, incomplete, irregular, 

 not following the usual lines, curving and swirling. 



Over 350 specimens of this species have been more or less carefully 

 examined, although the detailed description was made up from not 

 more than a score, selected from widely separated localities. By 

 far the greatest number of specimens were collected in the wState of 

 Colorado, including about 130 collected in two hours' time by the 

 writer near Eaton, Colorado, the latter part of August, 1914, and 

 there are a sufficient number of specimens in the collection to show 

 that the species also has a wide distribution in New Mexico, Arizona, 

 Texas, and at least the western part of Kansas. In addition there 

 are isolated records from West Point, Nebraska; Pierre, South Da- 

 kota; Mount Hood, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and, 12 speci- 

 mens from the C. F. Baker collection labeled "Ind.," which I assume 

 to refer to Indiana, although in general summer collecting over the 

 State for several years past I have not come across this species. There 

 is also a single specimen of this species in the collection labeled "near 

 Phila." 



The type of the species is located in the collection of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, there being a number of cotypes, 

 without any designated type. 



BRACON COMSTOCKI, new species. 



Hind angles of mesoscutum produced into relatively prominent, 

 tapering, slightly curved finger-like projections on each side of the 

 scutellimi ; at least the head and mosothorax black, and the abdomen 

 red; metathorax, propodeum and legs variable in color; length 

 6.5-8 mm. 



Female. — Z/catZ.— Triangular; height, 53; width, 56; height of eyes, 

 26; malar space, 26; width between eyes, 32; width at bottom of head, 

 20; interantennal plates triangular in outline, separated by a triangu- 

 lar groove; face triangularly flattened below the antennae, this area 

 grooved down the middle, this groove deepest and its flattened sides 

 widest at the top; ridges surrounding the antennal fossae not espe- 

 cially prominent, highest before a point opposite the median ocellus, 

 obsolete shortly before meeting the lateral ocelli ; profile of face slightly 



