1119 



Superfamily PELECINOIDEA 



By Carl F. W. Muesebeck 

 Taxonomy: Handlirsch, 1933. Handbuch der Zoologie, v. 4 (2), Insecta 2, pp. 981-982. 



Family PELECINIDAE 



The relationships of this family have not been satisfactorily established. More commonly, 

 although with some reservations, the group has been treated as a family of the Proctotrupoidea. 

 Until its affinities are better understood it seems best to follow Handlirsch (1933) and consider 

 it as representing an independent superfamily. 



Ta.\onomy: Ashmead, 1900. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 23: 3. -Ashmead, 1902. N. Y. Ent. See, 

 Jour. 10: 242-243. -Schulz, 1903. Bayer. Akad. der Wiss., Math.-Phys. Kl. Sitzber. 33: 

 435-440. 



Biology: Clausen, 1962. Entomophagous Insects, pp. 270-271 (This author suggests that 

 although the Pelecinidae have been recorded as internal parasites of ground-inhabiting 

 scarabaeid larvae the principal hosts may actually be coleopterous larvae living in 

 decaying wood.). 



Genus PELECINUS Latreille 



Peleciniis Latreille, 1800. Bui. Sci. Soc. Philom., Paris, 2(44): 155. 



Type-species: Ichneumon polycerator Fabricius. Desig. by Latreille, 1810. 

 Epicenastes Gistel, 1848. Naturgesch. Thierr. f. hob. Schul., p. X, col. 1. N. name, 



unnecessarily proposed for Pelecinus Latreille, thought to be preocc. by Pelecinus 



Moench in Botany. 



This genus, which comprises the family Pelecinidae, appears to be represented in North 

 America by a single variable species that ranges from Canada far down into South America. It is 

 quite possible that a critical study of the rather large accumulations of specimens contained in 

 some of the principal insect collections will prove this supposed ta.xon to be actually a complex of 

 several distinct species. Descriptions, in fact, have been published under a number of different 

 specific names. At present, however, these are all treated as applicable to a single species. 



Taxonomy: Latreille, 1825. Encycl. Meth., Ins., v. 10, pp. 29-30. — Klug, 1841. Ztschr. f. Ent. 

 3: 379-385. — Westwood, 1843. Ent. Soc. London, Trans. 3: 247-251. — Schletterer, 1889. 

 Berlin. Ent. Ztschr. 33: 226-237. -Brues, 1928. Psyche 35: 205-209. 



Biology: Forbes, 1894. 111. State Ent., Rpt. 18, p. 124. —Fetch and Hammond, 1926. Ent. Soc. 

 Ontario, 56th Ann. Rpt., pp. 86-87. —Hammond, 1944. Canad. Ent. 76: 130. 



Morphology: Snodgrass, 1941. Smithsn. Misc. Collect. 99 (14): 38-40 (male genitalia). 



