Vol. X.xi I K.\ To: M( (LOGICAL \K\\S 345 



Turner's Genera of Thynnidae with notes on Ash- 



meadian Genera. 



By S. A. ROHWER, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. 



The Thynnidae have, until recent years, been one of the neg- 

 lected families of Hymenoptera. This has been due largely to 

 the fact that they are confined almost entirely to the Southern 

 Hemisphere, and seem to be more numerous in Australia. The 

 appearance of the one hundred and fifth fascicule of the Wyts- 

 man's Genera Insectorum, which contains the genera of 

 Thynnidae as defined by their champion, Mr. Rowland E. 

 Turner, is a great boom for this neglected family. Hymenop- 

 terists in general, and more especially students of Thynnidae, 

 are very grateful to Mr. Turner for this contribution to our 

 knowledge of this interesting, though difficult, family. 



The character of the various parts of Genera Insectorum 

 varies greatly, but Mr. Turner's may be classed among the best. 

 This fascicule contains sixty-two pages and four plates, two of 

 which are colored. Of the fifty-three genera of Thynnidae 

 thirty-two are figured, and no less than fifty species are figured 

 in part or in entirety. 



Mr. Turner divides the Thynnidae into three sub-families, 

 Diamminae, Rhagigasterinae and Thynninae. His classification 

 differs from that proposed by Ashmead in a number of ways, 

 and it seems that the arrangement proposed by Turner is a 

 more natural one, although it is hard to tell until the entire 

 group has been thus tabulated. 



It is pleasing to see that Mr. Turner has chosen to divide the 

 species into small well defined genera. With the number of 

 described species increasing by the thousands it is almost neces- 

 sary that the limits of the genera be more closely drawn than 

 in days when only comparatively few species were known. 



One of the star features of this fascicule of the Genera In- 

 sectorum is that the types of the genera are indicated. The fix- 

 ing of genotypes is absolutely necessary in taxonomic work, 

 and it is hoped that in the future the editor of the Genera In- 

 sectorum will insist on this being done for all fascicules. 



