26o G. E. J. NIXON 



coarsely reticulate-rugose with at most a trace of a medial keel ; in most specimens the place of 

 the keel is taken by broken reticulations. Wings (Text-fig. 306). Hind coxa coarsely rugose- 

 punctate. 



Tergite 1 nearly twice as long as wide, parallel-sided for most of its length but on its short 

 horizontal surface narrowed (Text-fig. 296) ; its surface smooth throughout except for some 

 rugosity at sides of apical turned over part. Tergite (2 + 3) having a smooth, polished appear- 

 ance with a hardly indicated median field ; this field is hardly defined towards the almost 

 obliterated second suture but tends to be slightly widened behind. Ovipositor sheath without a 

 trace of apical setiform appendages. 



Length: ca. 3 mm. 



Africa : Kenya (type locality). 



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



Host : Epigynopteryx ansorgei Warren (Noctuidae). 



This species is essentially characterized by the coarse, quite dull, sculpture of the 

 head and thorax. The absolute break between the densely sculptured scutellar 

 disc and the posterior, polished band of the scutellum is a striking feature of the 

 group. 



The group is isolated and restricted to Africa. There are several undescribed 

 species in the British Museum and none of them is transitional towards any other 

 species-group within Protomicroplitis. 



The SCHUNKEI-Grovf 

 Monobasic. 



Protomicroplitis schunkei sp. n. 



$. Black ; gaster very dark brown with tergite (2 + 3) very slightly paler at sides. Front 

 and middle legs entirely pale ; hind coxa black ; hind femur blackish virtually throughout ; 

 hind tibia blackish but sharply pale on about basal two fifths ; hind tarsus blackish throughout 

 except that the extreme base of the basitarsus is yellowish. Fore wing hyaline but a little 

 darkened beyond the areolet. 



Head above smooth, shiny with faint satin-like sheen. Face shiny but a little roughened. 

 Ocelli in a very low triangle, the transverse, posterior tangent to the anterior ocellus cutting 

 deeply into the posterior pair. Antenna rather thick with the preapical segment about three 

 times as long as wide. 



Mesoscutum distinctly punctate, the punctures hardly more crowded along the course of the 

 notaulices ; the general surface is somewhat dull, especially along the lateral lobes because of a 

 fine, scaly-reticulate sculpture between the fairly large punctures. Pronotum (Text-fig. 320). 

 Disc of scutellum punctate ; towards sides rugose-punctate. Propodeum very shiny, almost 

 smooth over a large part of its surface ; the medial keel very strong. Mesopleurum in far 

 greater part smooth, polished ; anteriorly with only somewhat indistinct punctation. Hind 

 spurs whitish yellow, the inner one fully three quarters as long as the hind basitarsus. Sub- 

 median cell without hairs ; 1 st abscissa of the discoideus a little shorter than the 2nd ; metacarp 

 fully three times as long as its distance from the apex of the radial cell ; radial cell markedly 

 downcurved at apex (Text-fig. 333) ; vannal lobe slightly concave beyond its widest part and 

 here without trace of projecting hairs. 



Gaster (Text-fig. 330). Tergite 1 with deep, smooth medial furrow reaching the posterior 

 horizontal part of the tergite. Apex of the ovipositor sheath without modified setae. 



Length: 4 mm. 



