506 
Psyche 
[Vol. 92 
Genus Sericobracon Shaw, new genus 
Type-species: Sericobracon arimaensis Shaw 
Head: Subcubical, broader than long; lower clypeal margin trun- 
cate; labrum glabrous, slightly concave; mandibles shorter than 1/2 
malar space, barely meeting at tips when closed; maxillary palpi 
6-segmented; labial palpi 4-segmented; vertex strigate; occipital Car- 
ina present. 
Mesosoma: Mesonotal lobes coriaceous, notauli scrobiculate, 
meeting posteriorly in a wide rugose area; scutellar disc smooth; 
scutellar furrow 4-6 foveate; mesopleuron coriaceous, subalar fur- 
row and sternaulus scrobiculate; prepectal carina present; propo- 
deum with basal carina, fork of basal carina, and lateral carinae well 
developed, basolateral areas smooth (Figs. 2-3); foretibia apparently 
without stout spines or pegs; hindcoxa with an anteroventral tuber- 
cle; forewing (Fig. 1) with two intercubital crossveins, although 
second intercubitus is mostly desclerotized; first intercubitus de- 
sclerotized at lower end; recurrent vein entering first cubital cell; 
brachial cell open apically; hindwing (Fig. 1) with radiella, cubitella, 
postnervellus, nervellus, and submediella absent. 
Metasoma: Dorsope present (Figs. 4-5); fused terga 2+3 with 2 
transverse scrobiculate furrows, the anterior furrow separating terga 
2 and 3, the posterior furrow bisecting tergum 3; terga 3-7 smooth 
and shining; 6 or 7 exposed terga; ovipositor length varying from 0.6 
to 1.2X metasoma length (excluding ovipositor). 
Etymology: The name is masculine, derived from “sericum” (L.) 
meaning silk, in reference to the silk webs of the embiid host of the 
type-species. 
Remarks: Based on patterns of body sculpturing we place Serico- 
bracon in the subfamily Doryctinae, where it is allied to Heterospi- 
lus Haliday. Some neotropical Heterospilus species are remarkably 
similar in sculpturing of the mesonotum, propodeum, and meta- 
somal tergites (e.g. Marsh 1982, figs. 7-8). Sericobracon also agrees 
with Heterospilus in having the lower end of the first intercubitus 
desclerotized. Sericobracon may be distinguished from other 
doryctine genera by the absence of stout spines or pegs on the 
foretibia. 
Subfamilial placement of Sericobracon is problematic in that 
recent authors (e.g. Marsh 1965; van Achterberg 1976, 1984) have 
cited stout foretibial spines or pegs as a defining character of the 
