6oo 



Supplement 

 by R. C. L. Perkins 



to 

 HYMENOPTERA. 



Previously treated in Vol. I. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



In describing numerous additional species of Hawaiian Hymenoptera, I have, for 

 convenience, arranged the genera and species nearly in accordance with Ashmead's 

 Classification, as set forth in Vol. i. pp. 279 — 281 of this work, and have adopted the 

 superfamily Divisions, as enumerated by him. At the same time, I think it would be 

 more natural to combine the whole of the Aculeata together with the Chrysididae, 

 Bethylidae and the Proctotrupoidea in one large group, as in fact Sharp has already 

 suggested. Failing this, a greater number of superfamilies, equivalent to those of 

 Ashmead, should be adopted, e.g. one for the Chrysididae and another for the Myma- 

 ridae. The latter appear to me to be equivalent to all the other families of the 

 Chalcidoidea taken together. In any case Ashmead's characters for superfamilies and 

 lesser groups need defining anew, for those that he gives are frequently altogether 

 inadequate or incorrect. I need only instance the Chrysididae and Dryininae (Bethy- 

 lidae) which he places in his Vespoidea, in spite of the fact that hosts of the species 

 have not the thoracic structure he assigns to the superfamily. Similarly some charac- 

 teristic Sphecoidea have the pronotal angles attaining the tegulae and would be placed 

 in the Vespoidea in accordance with his tables. His characters for the Mymaridae are 

 quite erroneous. In drawing up his generic characters I should imagine that his 

 extraordinarily acute sight led him to almost entirely neglect the precaution of dissecting 

 the smaller forms. The Monograph of North American Proctotrypidae, the most 

 elaborated of his works, suffers greatly from this neglect. Most of the genera, that I 

 have examined, in that group, have quite different mouth-parts from those described 

 by him. It is much to be desired that a thorough revision of Ashmead's tabular 

 classifications should be made by those entomologists, who have access to his collections. 

 It is greatly to be deplored that he should not have lived to accomplish this himself, 

 after having laboured so long and so successfully for the advancement of our knowledge 

 of his favourite Order of insects. 



