404 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. 66. 



species should not occur in both continents. The writer fully be- 

 lieves the two Avill eventually prove to be the same species, but it is 

 probably advisable to retain the name s^ycciosksirnus for the Ameri- 

 can form until such time as European specimens can be obtained for 

 comparison. 



Another point of interest in this connection is the identity of 

 Agonioneurus locustarum Giraud. ^ Howard^ has pointed out the pos- 

 sibility that the species, the generic position of which has remained in 

 doubt since the original description, may belong to Paraphelinus. 

 The writer has carefully compared Giraud's description with that of 

 Centrodora amoena by Foerster with the result that he is convinced 

 that the two species are probably identical. The one point of dis- 

 agreement seems to be in the presence or absence of the hairless 

 streak on the forewing. Giraud specifically states that this line is 

 absent in his sj)ecies, but in view of the exact agreement in all other 



characters and in the 

 light of the knowledge 

 gained from the study of 

 S'peciosissimus in which 

 this line is narrow and 

 inconsj)icuous lying for 

 the most part in the in- 

 fuscated portion of the 

 wing, it seems practically 

 certain that Giraud has 

 overlooked it. The species 

 name locustarum ante- 



FiG. 1. — Antenna of female (pakaphelinus) centrodoea 



SPECIOSISSIMUS GIRAXJLT. 



dates mnoena, and in case my conjectures are correct will supersede, 

 both amoena and speciosissimus. 



The species 8j)eciosissimus unquestionably agrees with the descrip- 

 tion of Paraphelinus Perkins, and that genus therefore becomes a 

 synonym of Centrodora Foerster. 



Mr. Girault has stated his conviction that Paraphelinus and Aphe- 

 linus Dalman are synonyms.^ If accepted this would make Centro- 

 dora also a synonym. Girault based his conclusion on the study of 

 several Australian species which are unknown to the writer. As 

 represented by speciosissimus the genus differs from Aphelinus in 

 that the praescutum and scutellum are both divided by a median 

 longitudinal groove, the wings are distinctly longer and narrower, 

 with the venation attaining barely to the middle of its length; the 

 legs are somewhat longer and more slender, the hind tibiae being 

 decidedly longer than their femora ; the ovipositor is more strongly 

 exserted, and the scape of the male is distinctly though not greatly 



» Verb. d. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wlen, vol. 18, 1863, p. 1278. 



« rroc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 16, 1914, pp. 81-82. 



* Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, vol. 4, 1913, p. 180. 



