I 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 345 



CLASSIFICATION OF THE ENTOMOPHILOUS WASPS, OR 

 THE SUPERFAMILY SPHEGOIDEA. 



BY WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD, ASSISTANT CURATOR, DIVISION OF INSECTS, 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



(Paper No. 7. — Conclusion.) 

 Family XXIV.— Stizidae. 



This family has been associated usually, as a tribe, with the family 

 Bembicidce, with which, however, according to my views, it has no 

 relationship whatever. It is in reality much closer allied to the 

 Nyssonidce, next to which I have placed it, and from which some of the 

 species are separated with difificulty. 



The characters made use of in my table of families will, however, I 

 think, readily separate these three families, and it is unnecessary to 

 repeat them here. 



Gorytes moneduloides, Packard, belongs to this family and not to the 

 Nyssotiidce, and, as well as I can make out from the description, repre- 

 sents Costa's genus Ammatomus. Its entire habitus — the large eyes, 

 the free, almost semicircular labrum, etc. — is that of a Stizid and not of a 

 Nyssonid,and I feel satisfied it belongs here, although, not having seen an 

 authentic specimen of Ammatomus, Costa, I may be wrong in assigning it 

 to that genus. 



Exeirus, Shuckard, and Kohlia, Handlirsch, are included in this 

 family from the descriptions and figures alone, since both are unknown to 

 me in nature. 



The genera Stizoides, Guerin, and Megastizus, Patton, were sup- 

 pressed by Handlirsch and Kohl, and included with Sttzus, Latreille. 

 Fox has followed them in this, but, according to my views, all these are 

 good and distinct genera, and I have here restored Stizoides and 

 Megastizus to their original standing. 



It is believed that the following table will enable the student to 

 recognize all of these genera without any difficulty : 



Table of Genera. 

 Marginal cell much shorter than the first cubital cell, rounded at apex ; 

 pygidial area in $ wanting or incompletely defined ; abdomen in ^ 



enduig in 3 spines 4- 



Marginal cell as long or much longer than the first cubital cell, 



