1890 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



Pteromalus puparum Linnaeus. PI. ^0, figs. 1, 2. 



Female. — Head a little broader than the abdomeu, snbtrausverse, gi-eenish bronze, 

 closely punctate, slightly narroTving behind the eyes, vertex emarginate in middle; 

 ocelli quite large, placed in a triangle; face quite flat, antenual grooves scarcely show- 

 ing, cheeks quite long, convex, slightly compressed; eyes subovate, subconves; cly- 

 peus emarginate at apex in the middle; mandibles armed with four acute teeth, apical 

 one externally sinuate ; antennae long, filiform, inserted in the middle of the face, 

 bases close together, brown or fuscous, scape linear, yellow, joint 2 oblong, 3 small 

 but distinct, 4 a little larger than 3, 5-10 equal in width but growing slightly shorter, 

 club conico-elongate. Thorax moderately robust, above slightly convex, almost 

 smooth, very closely squamoso-punctate; metanotum quite long, very punctate, nucha 

 almost globose, no median carina, but strong, arcuate, lateral folds, spiracles not small, 

 suboval, situate in the spiracular snlcus just behind the suture. Wings hyaline, sub- 

 costal cell broad, marginal vein delicate, longer than stigmal and a little shorter than 

 postmargiual. Abdomen ovate, flat above, below slightly convex, sides rounded, a 

 little shorter than thorax, considerably broader, joint 1 dark blue, not transverse but 

 hidden in nucha. Coxae green, femora fuscous bronze, tibiae occasionally concol- 

 orons. Mesopleura delicately punctate. 



Male. — Dififers from female in its thinner, more strongly pilose antennae, oblong abdo- 

 men, aureus above, head broader than thorax, green, femora and tibiae always yellow. 

 Length, 3 to -t mm. (After Thomson.) 



This insect is common to Eurojie and North America, and is the com- 

 monest parasite of Pieris rapae. It has also been reared from Eiuymus 

 philodice by Mr. Lyman, from Enrema lisa by Mr. Mundt, from Agraulis 

 vanillae by Professor Riley, from Polygonia satyrus by Mr. AV. H. Edwards, 

 from Eu Vanessa antiopa by Mr. Ashmead, from Vanessa atalanta by Mr. 

 Lyman, from V. cardui by Mr. Scudder, from Basilarchia archippus by 

 Mr. Scudder, and has been caught ovipositing upon an Epargyreus tityrua 

 larva by Professor Riley. 



Pteromalus vanessae Harris. PI. 89, fig. 3. 



Dr. Harris' tyjies of this species, I am informed by Mr. Henshaw, are 

 not contained in the Harris collections at the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, and as I know of no authentic description of the species, I am 

 obliged to take it for granted, as Dr. Packard evidently did, that the 

 Pteromalus commonly reared from Euvanessa antiopa and Polygonia inter- 

 rogationis at the north is the one to which Harris gave this name. 



I am unable, after close examination of the specimens reared from these 

 butterflies, to satisfactorily distinguish them structurally from puparum, 

 and am reluctantly compelled to consider for the present that vanessae is 

 but a variety of puparum. The specimens in my possession reared from 

 antiopa and interrogationis are at least a fourth larger than the largest 

 females reared from Pieris rapae, and will average darker in color. I have 

 no males reared from either of these butterflies, but males of the large 

 form reared from Heraclides cresphontes resemble in all respects males 

 reared from rapae. 



