RECLASSIFICATION OF MICROG ASTERINI 133 



The M LAN J E-Groxjp 



The essential feature of this group, which seems to be confined to Africa, is the 

 structure of tergite (2 + 3), (Text-fig. 126, mlanje Wilkinson) 6 . 



The side of the pronotum always shows a distinct dorsal furrow. The hypopygium 

 is evenly sclerotised all over. The ovipositor is very short, more or less concealed. 



The affinities of the group are obscure. In general habitus there is a strong 

 resemblance to the glomeratus-gvoup. On the other hand, certain species show 

 an approach to the octonarhis-gvoup. 



On the evidence of the material in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), it seems that 

 the species of the group are gregarious parasites. 



De Saeger (1944 : 200) has described several species that clearly belong here. 



The GLOMERA TUS-Grovp 



This group is world-wide in distribution but particularly abundant in temperate 

 regions. Its best known representative is Apanteles glomeratus (L.) 7 , a common 

 parasite of Pieris brassicae L. 



The group as defined here is not quite coextensive with Wilkinson's group F, for 

 he included, not without some justification, a m/aw;V-subgroup and a flavipes- 

 subgroup. I have given group status to mlanje and its allies and the flavipes-sub- 

 group I consider to be merely aberrational within the larger glomer atus-gr oup. 



The species are very similar and difficult to separate. The hypopygium is evenly 

 sclerotised and never shows lateral creases. The ovipositor is usually very short and 

 more or less concealed ; rarely, it projects as a sharply pointed dagger correlated 

 with a lengthened hypopygium (acuminatus Reinhard (Text-fig. 124) Europe) and I 

 know of only one species in which it projects freely (hyphantriae Riley, N. American 

 but now introduced into Europe, Text-fig. 123). 



The group contains both solitary and gregarious parasites. 



The POPULARIS-Grovp 



Species in general habitus closely resembling the glomeratus-group. 



Pronotum with a dorsal furrow. Phragma of the scutellum clearly visible except 

 in one species doubtfully included here (chares) . Propodeum shining, smooth-looking 

 and, compared with the glomeratus-group, with very little sculpture ; no trace of a 

 transverse cristula on its anterior part, except in endemits. In all species, the 1st 

 abscissa of the radius and the transverse cubitus are distinctly angled at their junc- 

 tion. The apical segment of the front tarsus with a distinct spine in the female 

 (Text-fig. 144) ; apical segment of the hind tarsus with a corresponding modification 

 though less well developed ; parallelus and mandanis are exceptional in both these 

 respects ; hind spurs well developed, the inner one distinctly more than half as long 

 as the hind basitarsus. Ovipositor more or less concealed. 



*Apanteles mlanje Wilkinson, 1929c : 449. 



1 Ichneumon glomeratus L., 1758, Systema naturae, 10 : 568. 



