April, 1918] Parasites of LcaJ-IIoppers 181 



Gahan, Mss. giving the first authentic record of a dryinid 

 being parasitic on a membracid and also being the first one to 

 observe polyembryony in this group. His work is concerned 

 primarily with the effects of parasitism on the host. 



Misra (1917) in working upon the Indian sugarcane leaf- 

 hopper, Pyrin a aberrans Kirby, gave a number of pages to 

 the discussion of the biology of the two dryinid parasites of 

 this group. 



SYSTEMATIC POSITION. 



The Anteonince {DryinidcE) are now generally considered to 

 be a sub-family of the BethylidcE, the latter being included in 

 the super-family Proctotrupoidea of the Hymenoptera. A 

 further discussion of the systematic relationships of these 

 insects will be taken up in Part II of this paper. 



METHODS. 



All the parasites mentioned in the life history studies of 

 this paper were bred, it being very difficult to capture adults 

 in the field. All the hoppers were kept alive and the parasitized 

 ones isolated in separate shell vials provided with a layer of 

 damp soil and a cotton plug. Fresh leaves were added every 

 day until the host had been killed by the parasite. When 

 the latter had issued the host shell was preserved dry in gelatine 

 capsules. If the hopper died before the parasite matured, it 

 was preserved in 70 per cent, alcohol. The material for the 

 morphological studies was sectioned, or dissected in cedar oil, 

 being transferred into the latter directly from 70 per cent, 

 alcohol. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Geological. — Kieffer reports the genera Dryinus and Clielogy- 

 nus from the lower Oligocene and Brues a new genus Dryinince 

 from this same stratum. 



Geographical. — The AyiteonincB are found in all parts of the 

 world and will doubtless be found wherever their hosts are 

 abundant. According to Kieffer up to 1914 there have been 

 396 certain species described and 28 doubtful species. Of 

 these, 200 have been described from the Palearctic region, 98 

 from the Nearctic, 65 Australian, 32 Neotropical, 16 Oriental, 

 and 8 so far from the Ethiopian regions. To the list of countries 

 Alaska may be added, one species of Deltocephaliis being quite 



