130 MISC. PUBLICATION 17 4, U.S. DEPT. OP AGRICULTURE 



this band as broad as the smooth area between it and the apex; following 

 tergites all finely reticulated but with a narrow apical border smooth ; first 

 tergite bare dorsally, sparsely hairy laterally, the other tergites hairy ; ovipos- 

 itor not exserted. General color obscure metallic green, the occiput and 

 usually a spot on each side of front ocellus black or bronzy black, the abdomen 

 shining black except that the petiole and the sculptured portions of the tergites 

 are tinted with bronze : antennae black tinged with metallic ; all coxae, all 

 trochanters, and all femora metallic like the thorax ; narrow apices of femora 

 and all tibiae and tarsi pale yellow ; wings hyaline, venation dark brown. 



Male. — Length 1.7 to 1.9 mm. Antennae a little longer than in the female, 

 not thickened apically ; scape distinctly but not greatly swollen ; pedicel twice 

 as long as broad at apex; three ring joints which are very minute; flagellar 

 joints a little thicker than pedicel, joints 1 to 4 successively decreasing very 

 siightly in length, the first about one and one half times as long as thick, the 

 fourth quadrate; last flagellar joint distinctly conical, nearly as long as the 

 two preceding joints combined and terminating in a short spine. Abdomen 

 short, the apical tergites retracted ; petiole distinctly longer than broad, opaquely 

 sculptured, with a weak median carina : reticulated band on first tergite less 

 distinct than in the female. Otherwise like the female. 



Eedescribed from the badly mutilated type specimen and seven 

 additional specimens in the National Museum collection. 



REVIEW Of literature 



This species was described from a single female specimen collected 

 by Nathan Banks at College Station, Tex., and the original descrip- 

 tion apparently constitutes the only reference to it in literature. It 

 was placed by Girault in the genus Pseiidomphale Schrottky, but this 

 genus is now known to be a synonym of Horismemcs Walker. 



HOSTS AND LIFE! HISTORY 



Horismeims texanus has been reared from the hessian fly in only 

 a single instance so far as is known, one female having been reared 

 August 24. 1922. from a puparium of that insect collected at Berry- 

 ville, Va.. by H. D. Smith. The record has not been previously 

 published. 



The species seems to be a more common parasite of Meromyza 

 americana Fitch. It has been reared from that host by P. R. Myers 

 at Hagerstown and Funkstown, Md. ; by C. N. Ainslie at Mesilla 

 Park, N.Mex., and by A. F. Satterthwait at Charleston, Mo. V. L. 

 Wilclermuth reared it at Sacaton, Ariz., from what was believed to 

 be M. americana infesting salt grass (Distichh's spicata), and it has 

 been reared from unknown hosts in wheat by J. R. Horton at Charles- 

 ton, Mo., and by W. J. Phillips at Huntsville, Ala. Three speci- 

 mens are in the National Museum collection also, which are said to 

 have been reared from Eumetopiella rufipes Macquart at Sioux City, 

 Iowa, by C. N. Ainslie. 



The species is believed to be a primary parasite of the hosts men- 

 tioned. It emerges from the host puparium. Nothing further can 

 be said of its life history. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Comparatively few records are thus far available for this species, 

 but these indicate a rather wide distribution. These records have 

 already been enumerated. They show the species to have been taken 

 in Maryland, Virginia, Alabama. Missouri, Iowa. Texas, New Mex- 

 ico, and Arizona, thus indicating a general distribution throughout 



