3711 



The siKM-iiueii was sebt tn tlic iMitoiiiologist by Mr. Cockerell for 

 naiiu', and its apparent ('coiioinic iinpoitaiice seems to justify tbis 

 isolated description. 



The insect belongs to the subfamily Encyrtina- and the genus (Jer- 

 chysius. This genus was erected by Westwood in 1832 (London and 

 Kdinburg Thilosopliical ^Magazine and Journal of Science, Vol. i, July 

 to December, 1832, p. 127), with very brief characters, tbr Encyrtus 

 urocerKii Dalman. The genus, however, is rejected by Mayr, who 

 retains procerus in the genus EncijrttiH. Thomson makes nse of Cer- 

 chysius, with a somewhat indetinite diagnosis. In certain material 

 collected on the island of St. Vincent by Mr. Herbert H. Smith, and 

 sent to Prof. Kiley, 1 have found three species which possess in part 

 the characters of Dalman's E. nroceriis, and I have deemed it best to 

 use the generic name Cerchysius, especially as the terebral characters 

 alone separate the forms from all other members of the true genus 

 Encyrtus. The characters which may be deemed of generic value, 

 and in which the St. Vincent species as well as that from Jamaica agree, 

 are as follows: 



Genus Cerchysics Westwood. 



Female. — Head subsemiglobose ; eyes rather widely separated; ocelli forming a 

 right angled triangle; auteun;p inserted below middle of f;ice; scape somewhat 

 widened below and reaching nearly or quite to vertex; flagellum long, slender, and 

 cylindrical ; club very slightly enlarged. Mesoscutuui and scutellum somewhat flat- 

 tened, either plane or together somewhat tectiform, the scuto-scutellar furrow form- 

 ing the ridge in the tectiform species; scapuhe meeting at apex. Abdomen trian- 

 gular or 8ul)triangular; terebra exserted for at least half the length of the abdomen 

 pro])i'r. Legs rather hmger than normal, resembling in this respect those of Lep- 

 tomastix; middle tibial spur nearly or quite as hmg as first tarsal joint. Wings 

 with short marginal and rather short postmargiual and stigmal veins, the latter 

 suboqual in length; a narrow, oblique, hairless streak extending from costal margin 

 at stigmal vein to near base of wing on anal margin. 



Male. — Differs from female mainly in the fuuicle joints of the anteuuie which are 

 plano-convex dorsally and slightly concave ventrally, subequal in length, each about 

 three times as long as broad, and each furnished with two whorls of long hair. The 

 spur of the middle tibia is rather longer than the corresponding first tarsal joint. 



C'EHCHYSItS ICKUYK, sp. nov. 



Female. — Length (to tip of terebra) 1..3 mm ; expanse 2.7 mm. ; antennal scape nearly 

 cylindrical; Hagelluni unfortunately broken off iu botli antenna- of the only specimen 

 reared. Head and niesonotum very finely shagreeued, the head with additional 

 sparse fine punctures; lateral ocelli close to border of eyes, mesonotnm glistening, 

 with a few delicate sparse punctures jtarticularly observable upon the scutellum; 

 mesoscutellum with a delicate longitudinal impressed furrow from anterior apex to 

 near middle; mesopleura finely shagreened, glistening; abdomen smooth, subtrian- 

 gular; terebra as long as abdomen. Wing veins dark brown, marginal very 

 short; fore-wings hyaline with a roundish dusky spot below stigma. General color 

 honey-yellow, legs lighter than the body ; especially front coxte and middle tibia; and 

 tarsi; eyes black, ocelli dark, reddish brown ; pronotum dusky near center; nieso- 

 scutum dusky at central anterior margin, metanotum fuscous; third joint of ab- 

 domen above black; apicalhalf of mesopleura black; hind tibia- black except at tip. 



Described from one female specimen reared by ^Ir. T.I). A. Cockerell, 

 at Kingston, Jamaica, from Icerya rosce. 



