NO. 2178. THE GENUS BRACON FABRICIlh^—MORRISON. 325 



Wings. — Dark fuliginous, venation normal, the second transverse 

 cubital vein occasionally with a spur running out from above its 

 middle 



Legs. — Fore and middle legs black, hind trochanters, tarsi, and 

 at least the apices of the tibiae black; coxae, femora, and portions of 

 the tibiae black or red; all of the tarsal claws cleft, the hind more 

 deeply and broadly than the others; middle tibiae with one apical 

 spine, hind tibiae with two apical spines above the smaller spur, 

 in a single specimen with one apical spine present. 



Abdomen. — Elongate slender, wholly red, the first segment rather 

 broadly triangular; the tergum of segments two and tlu'ee with an 

 obscure transverse groove to indicate the division between the two, 

 and with a low transverse hump across the base of the second tergite; 

 length about 3.5 mm.; ovipositor red, sheaths black, length 2 mm. 



Described from 12 females. 



Male. — Apparently resembles the female in all essential structm-al 

 characters, except that the number of antennal segments varies from 

 40-42. 



This species appears, so far as the specimens examined may be 

 used as an indication, to occur in four distinct color varieties, which 

 are more or less definitely limited in distribution. I have been unable 

 to find any structural characters which would separate these groups 

 of specimens, and I beheve that a larger series would show complete 

 intergi-adation, so I have merely tabulated these color variations as 

 follows : 



aK All the legs wholly black Var. A. 



a^. Hind legs except the trochanters, tarsi and ends of tibiae, red. 



b\ Propodeum and thorax wholly black Var. B. 



V^. Propodeum and metapleurae at least partly red. 



c'. Propodeum and metapleurae wholly red Var. C. 



&. Propodeum blackish in front; metapleurae almost wholly black 



or blackish Var. D. 



Var. A is represented by 5 specimens; 1 female from Freeville, 

 New York, in July; 1 from Ithaca-Ellis, New York, in June; 1 female 

 and 1 male from Princeton, Maine, July 12; another male without 

 data. 



Var. B is represented by 10 specimens; 1 female from New York; 

 1 female from Great Falls, Virginia, June 20 ; 1 female from Roberts, 

 Pennsylvania, July 4 ; 1 female from Agricultural College, Michigan, 

 July 6; 1 female from Enola, Pennsylvania, September 18; 3 females 

 and 1 male from Inglenook, Pennsylvania, June 20. 



Var. 6" is represented by 5 specimens; 3 females from Dallas, Texas, 

 May 1 to October 7, the latter from Polygonum; 1 male from Paris, 

 Texas, August 27; and 1 male from Mound City, Louisiana, April 2. 



Var. B is represented by 2 females; 1 from Falls Church, Virginia, 

 June 19; and the other from Glencarlyn, Virginia, June 30. 



Type.— C&t. No. 20477 U.S.N.M. 



