932 ^A' INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



length. They may be recognized by the large stigma in the fore wing 

 just beyond which is a short but well-defined cell smaller than the 

 stigma. The abdomen is circular in cross-section and tapers to a coni- 

 cal point. In the male there is a pair of pointed claspers and in the 

 female a heavy tubular ovipositor sheath. The species of Procto- 

 trupes have a red abdomen. The proctotrupids whose habits are 

 known are all solitary or gregarious internal parasites of beetle larvae. 



The family 

 PELECINID.E is 

 represented by a 

 single species, Pele- 

 clnus polyturdtor 

 (Fig. 1 1 58). The 

 females are often 

 confused with ich- 

 neumon flies but 

 maybe easily recog- 

 Fig, 1 158. nized by the long 



cylindrical abdo- 

 men. The abdomen of the male is much shorter, with about the same 

 length and shape as that of a Sphex wasp. This sex is very rare in 

 the United States, but is common in some parts of South America. 

 The species is a solitary internal parasite on the larvas of June-beetles. 

 The adult females are common in August and September. This family 

 and the Proctotrupidse have many structural resemblances. They 

 are doubtless closely related. 



The family BELYTID^* differs from the following procto- 

 trupoid families in that the antennae arise from an elevated portion 

 of the face at some distance above the clypeus. It differs from the 

 preceding families in that the fore wing lacks a stigma. There are 

 two subfamiHes: the Belytinae with a closed cell in the hind wing, 

 and the Diapriinse without a closed cell in the hind wing. 



The subfamily Belytinae contains several common genera whose 

 species resemble Figure 11 59. Some species 

 are known to parasitize larvag of My- 

 cetophilidae and other Diptera breeding in 

 fungi. 



The subfamily Diapriinse contains, 

 among others, the remarkable genus Gdlesus. 

 This has an oblong head with a turret of 

 teeth on top. The face slopes sharply back- 

 wards to the mandibles which are long and Fig. 1159. Proctotrupid 

 point backwards. The wings can be folded 



lengthwise. Gdlesus and other Diapriinae are parasites in dipterous 

 puparia. 



In the family CERAPHRONID^, often called Calhceratida?, the 

 nine to eleven-segmented antennae are inserted next to the clypeus, 

 but unlike the Scelionidae and Platygasteridae the lateral margin of 



*For a monograph of the family see Kieflfer ('16). 



