PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 23, NO. 5, MAY, 1921 1 17 



determine whether certain joints are a part of the club or a part 

 of the funicle, and one can seldom be absolutely certain as to 

 the exact number of ring-joints in a given antenna, While 

 these antennal differences, within certain limits, are undoubtedly 

 of importance as specific characters their use as generic charac- 

 ters can only result in adding confusion to a situation that is 

 already tangled enough. 



Disregarding in large part the antennae and recognizing as 

 the essential features of the genus the medially bicarinate 

 propodeum, together with those other characters ascribed to the 

 genus by Waterston, will bring together a natural group of 

 species which may be easily recognized and readily defined. 

 The group will include species having widely different types of 

 antennae, ranging from those having four ring-joints, a 2- 

 jointed funicle and a solid club, as in the male of clisiognatluis 

 Waterston, to those having two ring-joints, four distinctly 

 pedicellated funicle joints, and a solid club as in the female of 

 atamiensis Ashmead. The fact that antennae of the two sexes 

 of the same species not infrequently exhibit such widely differ- 

 ent characters as illustrated by Waterston in the species 

 clisiognathus is proof enough that antennal characters are not of 

 generic value in this group. 



The scutellar character referred to by Girault for the genus 

 Pseudacriasoides is of even less value than the antennal charac- 

 ters. The alleged median groove on the base of scutellum is 

 nothing more than a very slight longitudinal depression marking 

 the line of convergence of the sculpture from the two sides of the 

 scutellum. In some specimens it does not appear at all. 



Epipleurotropis Girault is based on Epipleurotropis longfel- 

 lowi Girault, the type material of which consists of a single male 

 specimen the head of which was removed by the describer and 

 crushed beneath a cover glass. The abdomen is missing. 

 Judged by what remains of this specimen this is a distinct and 

 well marked species but not sufficiently different to warrant 

 separation from Pleurotropis. The scutellum is smooth 

 medially and mostly so laterally but with a narrow longitudinal 

 depressed line of sculpture on each side, appearing as a shallow 

 groove. The propodeum does not differ from ordinary Pleuro- 

 tropis except that the medial cannae are slightly less prominent 

 than usual. The mandibles are bidentate with the inner 

 margin exhibiting two or three fine serrations, a character com- 

 mon to a number of species of Pleurotropis as pointed our by 

 W 7 aterston. The antennae are of the same type as the male of 

 Pleurotropis utahensis. 



Pleurotropis benefica, new species. 



Apparently closely related to Pleurotropis nigritarsis Thomson 

 but differing from the description of that species principally in 



