AN UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF 
MELAN ICHNEUMON THOMSON 
FROM NEW JERSEY 
(HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE)* 
By Charles C. Porter 
Biological Laboratories, Harvard University 
Recent collecting in the vicinity of Metuchen, New Jersey, has 
produced an undescribed species of Melanickneumon Thomson be- 
longing to Heinrich’s subgenus V ulgichneumon and therein closely 
related both to M. (V.) brevicinctor (Say) and to M. (V.) saevus 
(Cresson). I therefore give below a description of both sexes of 
this new species. 
Melanichneumon (Vulgichneumon) heleiobatos, n.sp. 
types: Holotype: female, Metuchen, New Jersey, June 28, 1964, 
in Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 
Allotype: male, Metuchen, New Jersey, June 29, 1964, Museum of 
Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paratypes: four 
males, Metuchen, New Jersey, June 30, July 2, and July 3, 1964; 
one in Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
three in the Porter Collection, Metuchen, New Jersey. 
female: Color: black, shining, the following white: annulus, in- 
complete below, on flagellar segments 7 to 12 (in greater part) ; short, 
narrow mark on frontal orbit above; most of outer face of fore-tibia 
dully; a very large dorsal blotch on gastral tergites 6 and 7. Wings 
hyaline. Flagellum : moderately long and slender, very slightly atten- 
uate toward apex; distinctly flattened below beyond middle; 31 
segments, the first ±18 times as long as wide apically. Head: temple 
profile narrowed, a little curved; cheek profile narrowed, about 
straight. Malar space subequal to basal width of mandible. Thorax: 
mesoscutum finely and densely punctate, extensively micro-aciculate 
between punctures, rather weakly shining; scutellum highly polished, 
with sharp, well separated punctures, the lateral carinae distinct for 
about one half its length ; pleura conspicuously shining with abundant 
but generally discrete fine to rather large punctures, mesopleuron 
with subadjacent to adjacent punctures and some longitudinal 
wrinkling mainly in lower hind quadrant — otherwise generally with 
distinct polished interspaces between the punctures, area immediately 
^Published with the aid of a grant from the Museum of Comparative Zo- 
ology, Harvard College. 
Manuscript received by the editor August 18, 1964. 
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