250 G. E. J. NIXON 



Both species make an identical and characteristic cocoon mass. The cocoons are 

 stacked, one above the other and each parallel with its neighbour to form a compact, 

 comb-like structure. 



Key to Species 



A Head, thorax except for the propodeal region, and legs in far greater part, red : meta- 

 carp between three and four times as long as its distance from the apex of the radial 

 cell (Text-fig. 302) ; tergite 1 wider ; tergite 2 slightly longer than 3 



alvearius (F.) 52 

 Europe. 



Host: Boarmia rhomboidaria Schiffermuller (Geometridae). 

 B Entire body virtually black ; metacarp at most a little longer than its distance from 

 the apex of the radial cell ; tergite 1 narrower ; tergite 2 not at all longer than 3, 

 sometimes with weakly indicated median field that is widest in front. 



Mesoscutum shiny, with an uneven, weak, somewhat granular sculpture, more in 

 evidence behind and along imaginary course of the notaulices . minuta (Reinhard) 5r> 

 Europe. 

 Host: Cleora jubata Thunberg (formerly glabraria Hiibner) (Geometridae). 



The EUTERPE-Grovp 



Monobasic. 



Protomicroplitis euterpe sp. n. 



$. Head and gaster entirely bright reddish-yellow. Thorax black except for the propodeum, 

 which is yellowish and the pronotum and propleurum, which are as yellow as the head. Legs, 

 except for the blackened apical half of the hind tarsus, entirely reddish-yellow. Wings very dark 

 blackish to the naked eye. Scape and pedicel reddish-yellow ; flagellum black. 



Head polished, unsculptured. Ocelli in a very low triangle, the posterior transverse tangent 

 to the anterior ocellus cutting deeply into the posterior pair. Antenna long, the preapical seg- 

 ment fully two and a half times longer than wide. 



Mesoscutum with a little, fine punctation right in front but at first sight appearing highly 

 polished and unsculptured. Areolet of the fore wing narrow, somewhat elongate ; 2nd trans- 

 verse cubitus united with the 1st at a considerable distance from the junction of the 1st transverse 

 cubitus and the radius (Text-fig. 299) ; 1st abscissa of the discoideus about half as long as the 

 2nd. Propodeum with a faintly indicated, medial keel. Hind coxa very large, its outer face 

 with well defined, rather sparse punctures ; claws rather long, simple. 



Tergite 1 polished but with a few deep foveae across the apical margin ; its medial furrow not 

 very deep. Tergite (2 -f 3) polished, unsculptured, divided by deep furrows into four fields 

 (Text-fig. 329). Ovipositor sheath about as long as segment 2 of the hind tarsus, thin and 

 without trace of apical, modified setae. 



Length: ca. 4-5 mm. 



Dutch New Guinea : Cyclops Mts., 3,500 ft., iii.1936, 1 $, the TYPE, (L. E. 

 Cheesman). 

 Type in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). 



'-Ichneumon alvearius Fabricius, 1798 : 232. 



Microgaster alvearius (Fabricius) Spinola, 1808 : 149. 



Protomicroplitis alvearius (Fabricius) comb. n. 

 b3 Microgasler minuta Reinhard, 1880 : 357. 



Protomicroplitis minuta (Reinhard) comb. n. 



