186 G. E. J. NIXON 



2 Mesoscutum, except right in front, highly polished and virtually impunctate ; hind 

 coxa reddish-yellow except at base ; apical segments of the antenna longer, 

 segments 16-17 being between one and a half and one and two thirds times longer 

 than wide ; hypopygium narrowly tapered in profile and clothed beneath thickly 

 with long, bristle-like hairs ; ovipositor slightly thicker, its sheath slightly shorter 

 and wider than in falcatus ...... caudatus Muesebeck 22 



I have recognised this species from its description. Muesebeck describes the male, 

 unknown to me, as having enormous claspers. 



N. America. In the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) are 1 $ from Wisconsin (gaster, 

 except for the plate of tergite 1, the median field of tergite (2 -\- 3) and extreme 

 posterior tip, bright reddish-yellow) and four females from Labrador ; these have 

 almost the whole of the upper surface of the gaster darkened. 



- Mesoscutum distinctly though finely punctate all over ; hind coxa entirely dark ; 

 apical segments of the antenna shorter, slightly thicker, segments 16-17 being from 

 one and one third times to one and a half times longer than wide ; hypopygium not 

 thus tapered and only sparsely clothed beneath with bristle-like hairs that are shorter 

 than in caudatus ; ovipositor slightly thinner, its sheaths distinctly longer and 

 slightly less wide than in caudatus (basal tergites, Text-fig. 233) . falcatus (Nees) 23 



Europe. 



Host: Hadena monoglyplia Hufnagel (Noctuidae). A gregarious parasite, making 

 a tightly packed cluster of cocoons arranged parallel to each other. 



Apanteles neomexicanus Muesebeck 

 Apanteles neomexicanus Muesebeck, 1920 : 529. 



This species, represented in the British Museum by a paratype without antennae, 

 is extremely like both falcatus and caudatus, occupying a position midway between 

 them. The hind coxa is evenly brown and the general coloration is otherwise like 

 that of falcatus. The surface of the mesoscutum is slightly more punctate than that 

 of caudatus but not so distinctly as in falcatus ; the ovipositor sheaths are as long as in 

 caudatus ; the hypopygium is less narrowed apically than in caudatus but more so 

 than in falcatus ; it is as densely clothed beneath with long bristle-like hairs as in 

 caudatus. 



I hesitate to express a definite opinion on the specific validity of neomexicanus on 

 a single specimen in rather poor condition. Clearly, this species, together with falcatus 

 and caudatus, are in need of further study. All I have tried to do is to indicate the 

 closeness of their relationship. A. neomexicanus was described from New Mexico, 

 Santa Fe and Muesebeck gives the species as " apparently solitary, making a white 

 cocoon ". 



The OCTONARIUS-Grovp 



The species of this group known to Wilkinson were all included by him in his 

 group A. The greater part of this group I have now broken down into an octonarius- 

 and a vitripennis-group. These two segregates are certainly closely related and the 



22 Apanteles caudatus Muesebeck, 1922 : 16. 

 23 Microgasler falcatus Nees, 1834 : 175. 

 Apanteles falcatus (Nees) Reinhard, 1880 : 364. 



