Many Opimae are not easily separated from some of the smaller Braconinae, while others can easily be mistaken for small Alysiids. However, they can be distinguished from Braconines by the longer submedian cell of the hindwing and the slightly different character of the gap between the clypeus and the mandibles. Many of the recorded genera are based on trivial and unreliable characters that make their retention impossible.
This genus is characterized by fully emarginate occiput, open radial cell and rugulose body sculpture.. recurrent nerve joins first cubital cell just short of basal nerve, second ray abscissa about equal to first cubital. cross vein, and the stigma is rather long and narrow. 68 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 40. . alltibiae, and all tarsi dark brown; antennae black; wing and stigmapal veins brown. The genus is sufficiently characterized in the description of the subfamily and the generic key.
First abscissa of radius almost as long as the second and nearly half the length of the transverse cubitus; parapsidal grooves impressed to the middle of the. There can be no doubt about the synonymy of the Keilin and Picado species with that of Viereck. Eyes, spot surrounded by the ocelli, and the flagellum black; sheath and pedicel brown; posterior tibiae except basal, all the posterior tarsus and the terminal joint of the median and anterior tar-sibb brown;.
Described from a female and a male from the United States National Museum, with the number 18814, which is an Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History accession number. Head transverse, slightly wider than thorax; face lightly hairy and indistinctly pmictate, with a median ridge; clypeus trmicate anteriorly, slightly more than three times as wide as longdown in middle and distinctly separated from mandibles by a transverse opening; malar space slightly longer than the width of a mandible at the base; eyes prominent and nearly circular; occipital carina strongly developed on sides of head, absent behind vertex; ocell-ocular line more than three times the diameter of an ocellus; mesoscutum polished, without a median impression posteriorly, the parapsidal grooves obliterated except at the outermost anterior lateral angles; scutellum smooth; mesopleural impression broadly ovate and distinctly crenate; propodeum coarsely rugose; wings hyaline, the stigma broadly lanceolate; recurrent nerve joining the second cubital cell a little below the basal nerve; the first radial abscissa is shorter than half the width of the stigma, the second abscissa is a little more than one and a half times the length of the first transverse cubitus; radial cell long and terminating somewhat above the outermost tip of the wing. Abdomen elongate, its first tergite not much longer than broad and coarsely longitudinally striated, with strong sublateral carinae arising from the lateral basal angles and curved inwards; suturiform articulation distinct, second tergite striated, broad lateral margins of second tergite and third and following tergites smooth; ovipositor exercised almost the length of the abdomen.
Head black, clypeus and mandibles tinged with reddish; antennae black; dark constricting chest and abdomen; the wings are engorged, the veins and stigma nearly black; all coxae and hind femora thorax color, rest of legs dark reddish brown. Wings slightly infected in the basal part; stigma long and not broad; first abscissa with radius about equal to width of stigma haK, second abscissa one and a half times the length of. Forewing with the first stradialabscissa equal to about half the length of the stigma, these condabscissa more than one and a half times the length of the first transverse cubit; interstitial nerve re-current; second cuboidal cell much narrower at apex than base; stigma not broad.
Antennal joints beyond the fourteenth except the two apical ones white, testes glabrous, the rest of the antennae brown; mandibles, palpi and clypeus pale yellow; piceus face; Thorax smooth; median scar of mesoscutum slit-shaped and extending two-thirds of its length, parapsidal furrow deep anteriorly but disappearing before joining median scar; mesopleural impression firmly established; propodeum rugose, with raised transverse shade without or distinct amore before middle; the first abscissa of the ray is equal to about two-thirds the width of the stigma, which is broad. Stigma of forewing narrow, lanceolate, with ray distinctly projecting before its middle; fii-st abscissa with radius equal to about half the width of the stigma; second abscissa more than one and a half times the length of first transverse cubit.
The original description agrees well with provencheri, but in that species there is a large fusiform median impression on the posterior half of the mesonotum, which is apparently absent in luteiceps.
87 OPinS mSULARIS Ashmead
Thorax smooth, parapsidal furrows very short; propodeum smooth, smooth; stigma of forewing moderately broad, the ray projecting before its middle; second abscissa with radius one-third greater than first transverse cubit; third abscissaofradius twice as long as the second and very little reaching the margin of the wing. Interstiiialis Ashmead similar to species except for smooth propodeum, non-foveolate mesopleural impression and recurrent noninterstitial nervure. Head transverse and smooth, face practically impacted and with only a very slight median crest; malar space nearly half the width of a mandible at base; clypeus about twice as wide as middle; eyes large and slightly lower; a wide opening between man-.
Thorax distinctly wider between the wings than high (dorso-ventraUy), Mesonotum flattened, smooth, the parapsidal grooves only hinted at anteriorly; mesopleurae smooth with an impression below which is faintly rugulose within; propodeum granular rugose; stigma of forewing lanceolate, emitting radius near basal one-third; first abscissa with radius shorter than width of stigma, second abscissa about one and a half times. This female agrees with the description of the male, except that the rugulose sculpture on the second tergite extends almost to the apex of the segment. The head is transverse, smooth and carved, the face almost smooth and without a distinct median ridge; clypeus about twice as abroad as long and separated from the mandibles by a.
Without an average impression; mesopleurae smooth, the impression below the center vaguely serrated; propodeum rugose; wing stigma moderately narrow, with radius at basal one-third; first radial abscissa about half as long as the width of the stigma; second abscissa approximately twice the length of the first cubital transverse vein; third abscissa, twice as long as the combined first and second abscissa, strongly curved towards the radial cell and reaching the wing margin only above the extreme wing tip. Head and chest piceus; mandibles, palpi, scape, clypeus, legs including coxae, tegulae, metapleurae, most of the propodeum, and the first and second abdominal tergites are pale and heavy; antenna. The type of this species is from California and is very similar to graciUariae, but can be distinguished by the characters used in the key.
The head is transverse, smooth, the face with a median ridge and almost no points; clypeus about twice as wide as long, slightly rounded at anterior margin and adnate to maxillae; mandibles with a prominent tooth on ventral margin near base; a small space a little shorter than the width of a man. Thorax smooth; mesoscutum almost devoid of pubescence, parapsidal grooves absent except at anterior angles where deeply impressed, median impression absent; mesopleurae smooth, with smooth impression below middle; propodeum rugose with median carina indicated basally; wings hyaline; stigma lanceolate, widening radius distinctly before middle; first radial abscissa equal to about half width of stigma; the second abscissa is twice as long as the first transverse cubitus; third abscissa about one and a half times the total length.
NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES UNKNOWN TO THE WRITER
SPECIES WRONGLY CLASSIFIED AS OPIINAE
The original description of this species states that the female's antennae are 27-jointed and the male's 21-jointed. Males of Opiinae usually have more joints in the antennae than females, or at least as many. The number of joints varies in both sexes, but rarely or never to the extent indicated, at least in species with less than thirty joints.
Since the male symbol is placed before that of the female in the original description, the writer has chosen the male specimen as the type of the species. In the United States National Museum there are specimens of an Opius agreeing with Ashmead's description, and these have been described in the preceding pages under the name Opius commodus. The following descriptive notes are of the type, a female, and will supplement Provancher's description: Head smooth above, pohshed; face very finely punctate with a sharp median ridge from just below antennae to cljqjeus; triangular area in front of ocellus and above antennae with very fine dots; first flag node Uum as long as scan; chest smooth and.
Head transverse, smooth; eyes very large, projecting, very slightly convex opposite antennae, facets rather coarse and raised; malar space distinct, slightly shorter than width of mandible at base; face about as wide as transverse diameter. Legs long and slender, the basal joint of the posterior tarsi as long as the four following joints together. Differs from Curriea Ashmead in less emarginate eyes, longer malar space, distinctive first tergite, and spotless wings.
