14 PROCEEDINGS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



earth and occurring in very distant countries with greatly dif- 

 ferent climates; and the two or three are strikingly alike. The 

 climate of North America is vastly different from that of Hawaii 

 or North Queensland, and yet we find forms occurring in all 

 three places that are so much alike as doubtfully representing 

 two species. As concerns the occurrence of the Hawaiian form 

 in Northeast Australia, the explanation again hinges upon com- 

 mercial distribution, since the species is associated with sugar- 

 cane insects in Queensland and the Sandwich Islands. Commerce 

 seems to be accomplishing in a few years what nature takes 

 thousands to do. 



I believe it is true in all genera that their species will be found 

 to be more or less clustered in groups, and this seems to be nec- 

 essary from their nature and the manner of their formation. 

 These clusters of species must be viewed as genera in the making 

 and although it must be conceded that natural genera occur, since 

 it is allowed that species are natural, still from the standpoint of 

 human experience and reason it is extremely difficult to say just 

 where a genus commences and a cluster of allied species ends, 

 just as it is difficult to say when a variety is a species. So we 

 find it in this mymarid genus Polynema. There are species grouped 

 according to the width of the fore wings, as longipes and its allies 

 and the closely allied group of species including consobrinum, 

 striaticorne, regina, and euchariforme. Enock separated one species 

 characterized by a long proximal funicle joint in the antennae as 

 the distinct genus Stephanodes; subsequently other species were 

 found bearing the same character, two or three of them much 

 alike in coloration, the structure of the fore wings, and other 

 appendages and agreeing also in bearing a peculiar sculpture on 

 the scape. But one of them is totally different in the structure 

 of the fore wings and in coloration, and in still other species the 

 peculiar sculpture of the scape occurs without the other correlated 

 characters. This species group seems to be more on the way 

 toward forming a genus, but since it is difficult to say just what 

 the characteristics of the genus will be if the group is raised to 

 that rank, it seems best not to accept the genus. If the long 

 proximal funicle joint is taken as the separating characteristic, 

 with what is it correlated and how long it is necessary for it to 

 be, the species striaticorne and bifasciatipenne form connecting 

 links between the forms bearing a short proximal funicle joint 

 and those bearing a long one, and although these species have 

 the sculptured scape (only rarely in striaticorne), but totally dif- 

 ferent wings and color, where is the correlation demanded. There 

 are no other characters available as a basis for separation. 



The above comparative notes are based upon these specimens: 

 Polynema enockii Girault one male, one female mounted in 



