16 MISC. PUBLICATION 174, U.S. DEPT. OF AGEICULTUBE 



wide but frequently longer than wide; second flagellar joint distinctly thicker 

 and longer than the first and usually a little longer than the following joint, 

 about twice as long as thick ; third to penultimate joints as thick as the second, 

 the third sometimes a little smaller than the others ; apical joint ovate, as long as 

 or somewhat longer than the second flagellar joint; flagellar joints clothed 

 with short hairs, the apical five joints (under high magnification) each with 

 what appears to be a short pale spine or spur near its ventral apical angle. 

 Thorax ovoid, moderately convex above; sides of prothorax and the neck 

 above smooth and polished, the dorsolateral portions finely granular; mesocutum 

 longer than broad, with distinct and complete parapsidal grooves, the median 

 lobe distinctly finely reticulate-punctate and dull, the lateral lobes usually 

 more shining; scutellum nearly circular in outline, roundly convex, immargined, 

 reticulate-punctate and dull like the median lobe of mesoscutum, and sparsely 

 hairy ; propodeum with a narrow median longitudinal groove which is mar- 

 gined laterally by very distinct carinae, the surface of propodeum except in 

 the groove densely pilose ; mesopleura polished and bare ; metapleura densely 

 hairy. Hind coxae rather hairy beneath and at base above. Fore wings ap- 

 proximately twice as long as abdomen, veinless, the marginal cilia very short, 

 discal cilia on a little less than basal half of wing sparse and irregular, on rest 

 of wing uniform. Abdomen about as long as head and thorax and as broad 

 as thorax; first tergite about twice as broad as long, with two distinct and 

 parallel longitudinal carinae near the middle, the surface between the carinae 

 bare and smooth, outside the carinae densely hairy ; second tergite comprising 

 more than half the total length of abdomen, smooth and mostly bare, with two 

 large smooth foveae at base which are somewhat hairy within, the foveae 

 margined on the inner side by weak carinae and separated by a distance about 

 equal to the width of a fovea ; tergites beyond the second smooth and each with 

 a transverse row of short hairs ; basal sternite densely hairy. 



General color deep black ; pubescence grayish ; wings hyaline ; antennae black 

 or brownish black, the extreme base of scape narrowly, pedicel at apex and 

 base of first flagellar joint usually testaceous; mandibles reddish testaceous; 

 front legs except their coxae fuscotestaceous, usually darker on the dorsal side 

 of femora and tibiae ; middle and hind legs varying from black through piceous 

 to fuscotestaceous. 



Male. — Length 1.5 to 2 mm. Antennal pedicel about twice as long as thick ; 

 first flagellar joint much broader at apex than at base, with a short pedicel at 

 base, urn-shaped, about as long as broad at apex, the apex about as broad as the 

 pedicel ; second flagellar joint much thicker and a little shorter than the 

 pedicel, a little longer than broad ; third joint of flagellum as long as the 

 second but usually very slightly narrower; fourth to seventh flagellar joints 

 each subequal in length and width to the third; apical joint conical and 2% 

 to 3 times as long as thick, a little narrower than the preceding joint; whole 

 antennae clothed with pale, short hairs. Abdomen about as long as the thorax, 

 the apex more rounded than in the female. 



Redescribed from many specimens in the United States National 

 Museum. 



EEVIEW OF LITERATURE 



As pointed out in the discussion of Platygaster hiernalis Forbes, 

 the name Platygaster herrichii was first proposed by Asa Fitch in 

 1866 for the Platygaster sp. recorded by Herrick in 1841 and which 

 is now known to have been hiernalis. Fitch published no description 

 of the species, however, and hence the name was not validated. In 

 1877 A. J. Cook recorded observations he had made in Michigan on a 

 parasite of the fly which deposited 1, 2, or 3 eggs in the egg of its 

 host and pupated in the fly puparium. A specimen was sent by 

 Cook to A. S. Packard, who in 1880 published a description of the 

 species which he doubtfully identified as P. error Fitch, at the same 

 time suggesting that in case this identification proved to be wrong it 

 be called Platygaster herrichii. Packard considered it probable that 

 he was describing the species studied by Herrick, but his description 

 applies to a species now known to have a different life history from 



