The following species belongs in the the solidaginis group, along with P. solidaginis, P. utahensis, P. striaticeps, P. Pluto, and P. euuriae. At the time of their description, the impression over the upper margin of the eyes was not noted, and in fact it is easily missed without careful examination in very good lighting. The character helps to distinguish a small group of very closely related species from others that they closely resemble. P. striaticeps, utahensis and striaticeps may eventually prove to be populations of one species, but only when much more information becomes available, ie., host, biological data.

The following text is an OCR copy from Fouts (1924) original description, reformated for this page.

"Platygaster fumipennis new species".

"Female.1.3 mm. Habitus of virginiensis but the abdomen not so elongate; head twice a s wide as long, not emarginated behind, about as wide as the thorax; occiput transversely striate; frons aciculate.

Antennae rather slender, all the joints longer than wide; joints six to ten subequal in width, wider than the pedicel; pedicel much wider than joints two to five which are subequal in width; six to nine equally long, a little longer than wide.

Abdomen elliptical, shorter than the head and thorax united, about twice as long as wide, a little wider than the thorax; median area on first tergite quadrate, sharply defined laterally, flattened; basal foveae on second tergite rather short, with a few striae which extend slightly beyond their apices but do not reach the middle of the segment; a few short striae between the foveae; apical segments not sculptured; wings brownish, extending the length of the last four segments past the apex of the abdomen.

Black; antennae piceous, legs dark brownish.

Male.-Length 1.3 mm. Antennae slender, all the joints longer than wide; joint four nearly twice as l ong as wide, scarcely widened apically, distinctly shorter than the two following joints united; joints five to nine a little longer than wide, rounded at the ends.

Abdomen spatulate, as wide as the thorax, a little less than twice as long as wide, broadly rounded apically; wings brownish, extending the length of the last five segments past the apex of the abdomen.

Habitat.-United States.

Type.-Cat. No. 25442. Two paratypes in Collection Fouts.

Described from four females and one male, each bearing the label "4-03 , 161 F 85." The labels are in Theodore Pegande's handwriting. No notes filed under this number can be found in the files of the Bureau of Entomology, and it is therefore impossible to give"" the locality and name of the host."

Reference

Fouts, R.M. 1924. Revision of the North American wasps of the subfamily Platygasterinae. Proc. U.S.Natl. Mus. 63(15):87


The sketches were made from male and female type specimens loaned by the NMNH during the 1980s (MwMacGown).