562 HYMENOPTERA CHAP. 



plate. Wings with a distinct costal cellule ; head globose, 

 posterior femora frequently toothed. 



This is a doubtful family, consisting of a few anomalous 

 Insects. Schletterer assigns to it only two genera, Stephanus and 

 Stenophasmus ; l both have a wide distribution over the world, 

 though we have no species in Britain. Nothing is known of 

 their habits, and they are apparently all very scarce Insects. 

 The definition is compiled from those of Cameron and Schlet- 

 terer. There seems very little to distinguish these Insects from 

 Braconidae. 



Fam. VII. Megalyridae. 



Hymenoptera with short broad hind body, which is not separated 

 by a pedicel from the thorax. The female has a very long 

 bristle-like ovipositor. Antennae with fourteen joints. 



This family is constituted by the Australian genus Megalyra? 

 one of the most interesting of the numerous extraordinary Insect- 

 forms found in that region ; the species appear to be very rare 

 and not numerous. Apparently nothing is known as to their 

 habits. It is quite possible that these Insects will prove to be 

 anomalous Braconidae. 



Fam. VIII. Evaniidae. 



Petiole of the abdomen attached to the upper part of the median 

 dorsal plate ; antennae not elbowed, of thirteen or fourteen 

 joints. Wings with a moderate number of nervures. Larva 

 of parasitic habits. 



This family is composed of only three genera Evania, 

 Gasteruption, and Aulacus, each possessing a considerable number 

 of species ; they agree in the characters mentioned above, and 

 may be readily recognised by the peculiar insertion of the 

 hind body. This character occurs outside the limits of the 

 Evaniidae only in one or two genera of Chalcididae and 

 Braconidae ; it is to this latter family that the Evaniidae must 

 be considered most closely allied. 



The species of the genus Evania are believed to live at 

 1 Berlin entom. Zeitschr. xxxiii. 1889, p. 197. 2 Ibid. 



