Charles T. Brues.
A New Species of Lepidopria from North America.
Psyche 23(4):126-127, 1916.

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126 Psyche [August
A NEW SPECIES OF LEPIDOPRIA FROM NORTH
AMERICA.
BY CHARLES T. BRUES,
Bussey Institution, Harvard University.
I received recently from Mr. J. J. Davis of the Bureau of Ento- mology a very interesting Diapriid parasite of the genus Lepi- dopria which was reared by Mr. J. A. Hyslop from a Dipterous puparium found in an adult June-beetle. According to Mr. Davis the puparium was probably Cryptomeigenia theutis. The Diapriid is thus a secondary parasite of the June-beetle, but actually lives in the Cryptomeigenia which is in accordance with the known habits of the other members of the family which have been reared from various Diptera. This is the first Lepidopria to be found in the Western Hemisphere as the only species hitherto described, L. pedestris Kieffer, was found in 1taly.l From the form of the body which is exceeding ant-like, one might be led to suppose that the members of Lepidopria like those of the related Solenopsia are myrmecophilous, but such is evi- dently not the case, at least with the present species. Although there are quite considerable differences between the European and North American species I think that both can, at least for the present, be considered congeneric. The most striking disparity appears in the form of the antennae, but as these organs are very highly modified in the closely related Solenopsia one cannot rea- sonably place very great weight upon them as generic characters. Following is a description of the new form: Lepidoria aberrans sp. nov.
9. Length. Piceous, the thorax and base of the abdomen fuscous; legs and antennae yellow.
Antennae 12-jointed, stout;
scape arcuate, as long as the pedicel and first four joints of the flagellum together; pedicel one-half longer than broad, tip as wide as the apex of the scape; first joint of flagellum two-thirds as long as the pedicel and much narrower; second to seventh joints of flagellum short and broad, strongly transverse; club three-jointed, 'Andrf, Hymh. Europe et Alrfrie, Vol. 10, p. 869. (1911).



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19161 Bruee-A New Species of Lepidopria 127 a little longer than the preceding joints of the flagellum taken together. Eyes very small, less than half as long as the cheeks; ocelli large, in an equilateral triangle. Palpi very short, scarcely
projecting from the mouth opening, the maxillary apparently with three very short joints and the labial with a single joint. Metathorax clothed with woolly hairs, its upper surface slightly raised behind;
the posterior
surf ace excava-
ted to receive
the convex base
of the nodiform
first abdominal
segment, the
latter elevated
into a large erect
scale-like node
which is curved
backward so
that its anterior
surface is con-
vex and the pos-
terior one con-
cave, its surface
woolly. Second
Fig. 1. Lepidopria aberrans sp. nov. Q . A, antenna; N, lateral view of petiole of abdomen shown in position between the metathorax (M) and the second abdominal segment (2).
segment comprising over two-thirds of the abdomen, following segments very short. Legs stout, tibiae, especially the anterior ones, strongly swollen apically; tarsal claws stout, simple. Described from one female, mounted in balsam, reared as men- tioned above from a Tachinid pupa, probably Cryptomeigenia theutis, found in an adult Phyllophaga (Lachnosterna) inversa at Hagerstown, Md., August 15, 1913.
This species differs from L. pedestris Kieff. by the three-jointed antenna1 club.




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