ART. 16 WASPS OF THE SUBFAMILY BEACONINAE MUESEBECK 51 



The above observations are based on the following material: Five 

 specimens constituting the type series; 37 additional specimens in 

 the United States National Museum from Vienna, Virginia; Cham- 

 paign, Illinois ; Caney Spring, Tennessee (reared from lepidopterous 

 larva in ragweed stem by G. G, Ainslie) ; Hagerstown, Maryland 

 (from ragweed stem) ; Kansas; New York; Alabama; Georgia; Lees- 

 burg, Virginia; and Tallulah, Louisiana; and three specimens from 

 Illinois, in the collection of the University of Illinois. 



25. BASSUS BUTTRICKI Viereck 



Bassus (Lytopylus) buttricki Viereck, Bull. 22, Conn. Geol. and Nat. Hist. 

 Survey, 1917 (1916), pp. 228 and 229. 



Type. — In the agricultural experiment station at New Haven, 

 Connecticut. 



Most similar to hicolor, but nearly always readily distinguished by 

 the characters given in the key; the antennae are distinctly shorter; 

 the second abdominal tergite is very often closely striate on the basal 

 half or more, this striate condition sometimes extending upon the 

 third tergite as well; and the color variation of the thorax is not in 

 the same direction as in hicolor. In a series of specimens of hicolor 

 showing all gradations from an entirely black to an entirely red 

 thorax the first reddish markings appear on the mesonotum and then 

 gradually take in the pleura, leaving the pectus and the propodeum 

 as the last parts to become red; in huttricJci, on the other hand, the 

 reddish coloring being at the propodeum and metapleura, and then 

 extends to the mesopleura, mesopectus, and propleura, leaving the 

 mesoscutum always black or blackish. Face distinctly broader than 

 long; malar space about half the eye height; antennae varying in 

 the material studied from 23 to 27 segmented; pronotal pits small; 

 propleura polished, but with several distinct foveae just below the 

 pronotal pits; mesopleural furrows very weak, smooth; mesoscutum 

 only very weakly, sometimes indistinctly impressed medially ])ehind 

 the union of the parapsidal furrows; furrow in front of scutellum 

 pitted; propodeum more or less areolated, but the areas usually 

 poorly defined and rugulose within; mesopleural furrow shallow, pol- 

 ished; areolet of fore wing triangular, petiolate; the two abscissae 

 of mediella of about equal length; first abdominal tergite more or 

 less striate and with two prominent dorsal keels on the basal two- 

 thirds; second tergite usually somewhat striate, occasionally com- 

 pletely so; third tergite often striate basally; ovipositor sheaths 

 about as long as the body. Head black, the face in the palest speci- 

 mens sometimes mostly ferruginous; thorax very rarely entirely 

 black, the metapleura and propodeum at least being usually red; 

 sometimes the entire thorax except the mesonotum is red; wings 

 fuscous; anterior and middle legs black or brownish black; posterior 



