96 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The family is very large and widely distributed, but is more exten- 

 sively re]jresented in South An\erica, in Australia and Africa than 

 •elsewhere, Europe and North America having only a few representatives. 



The study of the genera and species is most difficult on account of the 

 great dissimilarity of the sexes, the slowness with which material comes in, 

 and the absence of good collectors to take the sexes in coitu, so that the 

 sexes can be correctly correlated and the genera more thoroughly 

 elaborated. 



I have divided the family into three subfamilies, which may be 

 recognized by the characters employed in the following table : 



Table of Subfamilies, 



Females i . 



Males 4. 



1. Body rather short, not elongate: thorax above convex, the metathorax 



very short, obliquely truncate posteriorly, transversely compressed or 



sublamellar, more rarely long 3. 



Body elongate and slender; thorax above more or less flattened, rarely 

 convex. 



Metathorax never very short, nor transversely compressed ; 

 abdomen smooth, the second dorsal segment without transverse 



folds or carina?, the pygidium and hypopygium normal 2. 



Metathorax very short, obliquely truncate posteriorly, from the 

 base or very near the base, transversely compressed or sub- 

 lamellar; abdomen not smooth, variously sculptured, the second 

 dorsal segment more or less punctured, or rugulose, and usually 

 with two or more transverse folds or carina?, sometimes many ; 

 pygidium and hypopygium abnormal, variously 

 modified Subfamily i., Thynninse. 



2. Head transverse, much wider than long, the eyes large, the ocelli 



distinct Subfamily II., Methocinse, 



Head large, oblong, quadrate or nearly, more rarely subrotund or 

 oblrapezoidal, the eyes not large, the ocelli usually 

 wanting Subfamily III., Rhagigasterinae. 



3. Metathorax short, usually obliquely truncate from its base ; abdomen 



not wholly smooth, the second dorsal segment pimctate or rugulose, 

 and usually with two or more transverse folds or carinae.the pygidium 

 and hypopygium abnormal, variously modified, the latter usually 



