Orgilus cuneatus (Provancher 1888)

Orgilus cuneatus (Provancher)

Blacus cuneatus Provancher, 1888, p. 383.

Orgilus cuneatus (Provancher).—Muesebeck and Walkley, 1951, p. 111.

This species belongs in the indagator Muesebeck complex, but it seems to differ from indagator in having a smoother and more shining mesonotum and a long ovipositor. The holotype female is a very small specimen, only about 2.5 mm long. I have seen only one other specimen that seems to belong here. It is a female from Houston, Delaware, in the United States National Museum collection. It agrees in size and in what appear to be the most essential characters as described in notes made on examination of the type, but the abdomen is darker, completely lacking the pale markings on the first and second tergites of the holotype. Following is a redescription of the type specimen.

Head a little wider than thorax, in dorsal view about 0.6 as long as wide; face minutely shagreened and mat, at narrowest point barely wider than eye height, largely minutely shagreened; malar space a little more than 0.4 as long as eye height; cheeks shagreened and rather mat; temples about 0.6 as wide as eyes, smooth and shiny; antennae of holotype broken, 23 segments remaining, the apical segment a little broader than long (the female from Houston, Delaware, has 28-segmented antennae, with some of the preapical segments of the flagellum at least as wide as long).

Mesoscutum largely smooth, with some minute setigerous punctures; notauli sharply impressed, finely foveolate; propodeum largely granulose; side of pronotum granulose or finely rugulose; mesopleuron smooth and shiny, the longitudinal furrow nearly straight and finely foveolate; metapleuron finely shagreened, somewhat rugulose at lower margin. Hind coxa shagreened; inner calcarium of hind tibia a little more than half as long as metatarsus; tarsal claws simple. Radial cell on wing margin as long as stigma; second abscissa of radius on a line with intercubitus; stub of third abscissa of cubitus a little longer than second abscissa; nervulus very slightly postfurcal; hind wing about 5 times as long as wide; lower abscissa of basella much longer than nervellus, a little more than half as long as mediella and more than half as long as maximum width of hind wing.

Abdomen slender; first tergite about 1.5 times as long as wide at apex, its surface minutely granulose, the dorsal keels not distinct; second tergite nearly as long as wide at base, finely shagreened; third tergite shagreened basally; remainder of abdomen smooth and polished; ovipositor sheath about 1.4 times as long as abdomen.

Black; antennae yellow, darkened apically; palpi piceous; tegulae yellow; wings faintly smoky; legs yellow, the hind coxae slightly darkened at bases above, also apices of hind femora and of hind tibiae and the hind tarsi more or less darkened; abdomen with apical corners of first tergite yellowish and lateral margins of second tergite more or less yellowish.

HOLOTYPE.—In the Quebec Provincial Museum collection, Laval University, Sainte Foy, Quebec.

DISTRIBUTION.—The holotype is from Cap Rouge, Quebec.