78 Z. BOUCEK 



Leucospis aliena sp. n. 



(Text-fig. 76) 



This species is morphologically, except for the form of the hind legs (and except 

 for the yellow pattern), very close to L. opalescens Weld and L. signifera sp. n. 

 As a detailed description of signifera is given above, mainly only the different 

 features of aliena are mentioned here. 



For some time I was not sure whether L. aliena represented a really different 

 species, but all five females are fairly constant in colour and structure and occur 

 in the same place with L. signifera. I think therefore that the two cannot form, 

 for example, different subspecies of the same species, although I do not regard 

 the geographical separation (allopatry) the only way of speciation, as some authors 

 apparently do. 



$• 7'3~8 - 8 mm. Metallic tinge changing with views but head mainly dark green to bluish, 

 violaceous to blue on thoracic and gastral dorsum (blue particularly inside the punctures) and 

 upper mesopleurum (epimerum usually violaceous to purplish on interspaces and green in 

 punctures) and brighter green on propodeum. Pale yellow markings characteristic on thorax 

 (Text-fig. 76), pronotum anteriorly, posteriorly and more or less laterally, lateral and posterior 

 margins of mesoscutum, scutellum postero-laterally, dorsellum, then metapleurum at 

 propodeum; legs marked similarly to L. signifera. 



Head dorsally about 2-4 times as broad as long; POL about 1-3 times OOL. Head in facial 

 view about 1-33 times as broad as high. Relative measurements in holotype: height of head 

 49, breadth of frontovertex 38-5, lower face 35, scrobes 20, eye 33 : 22-5, malar space 9, 

 mouth 24. Flagellum plus pedicellus combined 1-13-1 -18 times as long as breadth of head. 



Pronotum and mesoscutum very densely punctured; scutellum less densely so, with 

 interspaces up to one-third to one-half the width of punctures, interspaces shallowly strigose, 

 sublaterally and anteriorly bearing dense fine piliferous punctures. Pronotum with hind 

 margin barely carinate, without premarginal carina, sides distinctly converging. Scutellum 

 1*19— 1*26 times as broad as long. Dorsellum lunulate, about 3 times as broad as long, its 

 margin very narrowly laminate and translucent, dorsum nearly flat, punctured and slightly 

 pubescent, with a deeper row basally. Upper mesepisternum densely beset with mixture of 

 coarser and finer piliferous punctures, interstices with some oblique striation; upper 

 mesepimerum sparsely punctured, interspaces with microscopic subhorizontal to oblique (in 

 lower part) striation, slightly dull. 



First tergite about 1-25 times as long as broad, dorsally with broad ovipositorial furrows 

 diverging forwards. Anterior and posterior margins of fourth tergite subparallel; tergite one- 

 fourth as long as fifth tergite, medially with 6-7 transverse rows of punctures at fine slot-like 

 groove. A similar median groove on fifth tergite which is here about o-6 times as long and i-6 

 times as broad as first tergite (laterally much longer). 



<$. Unknown. 



Biology. Unknown. 



Holotype $, Brazil: State Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia, 30.1.1955 

 (F. Plaumann) (BMNH). 



Paratypes. Same locality as holotype, 8. ii., 9. iii. and 16. iv. 1936, 4 $ 

 (Plaumann) (BMNH). 



The SPEIFERA-Grovp 



The species differ from the preceding egaia-gioup in having the body generally less densely 

 punctured, usually with distinct shiny though narrow interspaces between the punctures; 



