920 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



have been described. A species of this genus is represented by Figure 

 1156. A monograph of the family is included by Kieffer ('12) in his 

 Evaniidas. 



Fig. 1 157. — Wings of Gasteruption incertus. 



The members of this family are parasitic on solitary wasps and 

 solitary bees. 



SuPERFAMiLY PROCTOTRUPOIDEA 



The Proctotrupids 



In the Proctotrupoidea the hind wings are without an anal lobe; 

 the pronotum extends back on each side reaching the tegulse ; and the 

 hypopygium of the female is not divided, but closely applied to the 

 pygidium, the ovipositor issuing from between the two at the tip of 

 the abdomen. 



The members of this superfamily are slender insects and mostly of 

 minute size. Their color is almost invariably black or brown without 

 metallic luster. The venation of the wings is greatly reduced and in 

 many forms the wings are veinless; there are also many wingless species. 

 Figure 1 158 represents a proctotrupid great- 

 ly enlarged. 



The proctotrupids are nearly all para- 

 sitic ; and very many of them infest the eggs 

 of other insects. The female proctotrupid 

 bores a hole with her ovipositor through the 

 shell of an egg of one of the larger insects, 

 and deposits one of her eggs inside of it. 

 Here the young parasite when it hatches 

 finds itself in the midst of food which is 

 sufficient for it till it is fully grown. The 



transformations are passed within the infested egg, from which the 

 parasite comes forth an adult. Other species are internal parasites 

 of larvae, and some are secondary parasites, that is, parasites upon 



Fig. I 158. 



