340 PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.52. 



united by numerous transverse carinae, but the whole arrangement 

 varying somewhat; spiracles oval or oblong-oval, also variable. 



Wi7igs. — FuUginous, venation typical, light spotting not veiy 

 noticeable; length, fore 7.1 mm., hind 5.5 mm., of an average 

 specimen. 



Legs. — Color typically almost reddish, but actually varying from 

 wholly red, except the tarsal claws, more or less of the trochanters, 

 and the apices of the hind tibiae, to whoUy black except for the hind 

 coxae and femora; middle tibiae with two apical spmes, hind with 

 from 2-13 apical spines; all tarsal claws apparently cleft, the hind 

 with the two teeth deeply and widely separated. 



Abdomen. — Elongate, slender, lanceolate, the first segment rather 

 long dorsally, but also distinctly broadened toward the apex; the 

 second and third tergites together about as long as the first, the divi- 

 sion between the two indicated by a faint transverse groove, the 

 second tergite broadly depressed transversely at about the middle; 

 color reddish, with more or less blackish diffusion dorsally; length, 

 3-4 mm.; ovipositor about as long as the abdomen, reddisli, the 

 sheaths black. 



Male. — The male appears to resemble the female closely, showing 

 the same variability of color and structure. 



Red escribed from 31 specimens. 



The specimens included under this species name appear to group 

 themselves into three lots on the basis of the number of apical spines 

 on the hind tibiae, although the groups do not seem to possess any 

 other characters in common. The distribution of the species with 

 the specimens arranged thus is as follows: 



With 2-3 apical spines: 4 females and 3 males from various parts 

 of Texas; 2 females and 2 males from "Ga."; 1 female from Alex- 

 andria, Louisiana, July 30; 2 females fromMalcolm, Nebraska, October 

 12 and 24 ; 2 females from " Ainsworth, W. T., July 20/82 " ; 1 female, 

 No. 2364, Hubbard's No. 98; 2 males, ''Miss." 



With 5-7 apical spines: 1 female, Austin, Texas, September 26; 1 

 female Victoria, Texas, July 15, on aKalfa; 1 female, Alexandria, 

 Louisiana, July 30, on cotton; 1 male, Corpus Christi, Texas, October 

 16; 1 male, Brownsville, Texas, September 29; 1 male, San Antonio 

 Texas; 1 female, Onaga, Kansas; 1 female, "lU." 



With 9-13 apical spines: 2 females. Mission, Texas, May 13, bred 

 from "Lep."; 1 male, "Colo. 1569"; 1 male, Victoria, Texas, July 28. 



This is by far the most variable American species in the genus 

 Bracon, and I am still a little undecided as to whether some of the 

 specimens included here should be considered as properly placed. I 

 have not been able to find any definite characters or sets of charac- 

 ters which would serve to distmguish the more widely varying speci- 

 mens from those which are typical. There is no question but that 



