BY ROWLAND E. TURNER. 209 



is at present available. Ashmead's classification therefore is not 

 likely to be accepted as to the groundwork, though worthy of 

 careful attention. As to detail, however, he is often inaccurate, 

 giving the wrong number of joints in the maxillary palpi of the 

 male Anthohosca and in the labial palpi of the male ElapJiroptera, 

 although Guerin in his description of the genera is quite correct 

 on these points. His identification of the species which he takes 

 a>; the types of his genera is also very faulty, the true species 

 often difiering much from the characters given by him for the 

 genus of which he makes it the type. This is extreme careless- 

 ness, and renders it impossible to use some of his new genera, 

 even were the characteristics sufficiently good to stand, as we 

 cannot tell what the t3'pe-species reall}?- is. The extreme multi- 

 plication of genera which is a characteristic of most of Ashmead's 

 work is probably much more inconvenience than assistance to 

 other workers, but on this point opinions may differ. In the 

 genera dealt with in the present paper Ashmead has made little 

 alteration. I am unable to accept his subfamirly RhagiyasteriiKP,, 

 vv^hich 1 regret, as in many points it would form a convenient 

 and natural group. My reason for rejecting it is the difficulty 

 of placing the genus Entele.s, the males of which have ahvay>s 

 been classed with Rliagig aster] whilst the female, except in the 

 six-jointed maxillary palpi, is nearer to Ashmead's ThynnincF. 



Until really large collections, accurately paired, can be obtained 

 from Western Australia, it seems inadvisable to found large 

 numbers of new genera, though it is not desirable to sink old 

 genera where it can be avoided. Dalla Torre in his great 

 Catalogue has added a number of unnecessary synonyms by 

 sinking all the genera, except Diamma, in Thynnus. 



This paper, it is hoped, will be the first of a series of three or 

 four completing a revision of the known Australian species, 

 amounting, with new species available, to nearly four hundred. 

 It seems hardly necessary to publish full descriptions of all 

 Smith's species, his works being easily accessible; supplementary 

 notes onl}'- are therefore given, and full descriptions onl}^ in cases 

 in which the original description is worthless. 



