1986] 
Porter — Sonoran genus Compsocryptus 
29 
ground color; black wings with a single yellow cross band on fore 
wing; coarsely punctate to (medially) reticulo-punctate mesopleu- 
ron; very densely setose 2nd gastric tergite; and sheathed portion of 
ovipositor averaging only 0.67 as long as fore wing. 
Like the South American Compsocryptus, C. fasciipennis is iso- 
lated by more than 1000 km from its nearest congeners. It occurs 
only on the Keys and in the Everglades region of tropical Florida as 
well as on Cuba. Other North American Compsocryptus range both 
northwest and southwest from near Houston in east Texas. 
Current research has added some new information on the ecology 
and geographic distribution of C. fasciipennis. These data are sum- 
marized below. 
New Specimens Examined: 139 and 33<5: UNITED STATES, 
Florida, Monroe County, Bahia Honda Key State Park ll-X-1981, 
C. Porter, L. Stange; Big Pine Key, 16-18-V-1982, 25-X-1982, C. 
Porter; Fleming Key, V-1979 to V-1980, Malaise Trap, H. V. 
Weems, Jr.; North Key Largo, 15-V-1982, 12-X-1981, C. Porter, L. 
Stange; Stock Island, 18-V-1982, C. Porter, L. Stange. 
Field Notes. Like other Compsocryptus, this species usually 
occurs flying close to or crawling on the ground in early secondary 
successional habitats at the edge of mature forests. In October of 
1981 I netted 12 males from Bidens pilosa growing on the center 
strip of a parking lot on Bahia Honda Key. My Key Largo speci- 
mens also were taken from stands of Bidens. On Big Pine Key, I 
swept several C. fasciipennis amid herbaceous undergrowth on a 
sand ridge along a trail through a Tropical Hardwood Hammock. 
Townes (1960:283) cites 75 males and 44 females of C. fasciipen- 
nis from south Florida (Miami and Everglades National Park to 
Key West) and indicates that the yearly activity period for this 
species in Florida spans “December 28 to April 12” with 1 record for 
5 December. My new records show that the species begins to fly as 
early as 1 1 October and continues at least until 18 May. It is scarce in 
May but often becomes abundant in October (e.g., \2$ from Bahia 
Honda Key on ll-X-1981). 
The Malaise Trap records from Fleming Key elicit interest for 
several reasons. They are the first annual survey of Compsocryptus 
(and other ichneumonid) abundance done on the Florida Keys. 
They also provide an idea of ichneumonid species composition and 
density in a highly disturbed part of the Keys. Fleming Key is an 
artificial appendage of Key West, mainly given over to a U. S. D. A. 
