426 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 part 3 



25. Genus Cryptanura 



Figure 320,b 



Cryptanura Brull6, 1846, In Lepeletier, Histoire naturelle des insectes, 



hymenopteres, vol. 4, p. 242. Type: Cryptanura nigripes Brull6; designated 



by Viereck, 1914. 

 Polyaenus Cresson, 1873, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 25, p. 149. 



Type: Polyaenus ectypus Cresson; designated by Viereck, 1914. 

 Polyaenidea Viereck, 1913, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 46, p. 381. Type: 



Polyaenidea pretiosa Viereck; original designation. 



Front wing 6.6 to 17.5 mm. long; body of moderate proportions; 

 frons with a median pair of conical or triangular horns, placed side 

 by side, either entirely separate or arising from a common base 

 (best seen from dorsal view) ; clypeus moderately large, rather evenly 

 convex but flat or a little reflexed near apical margin and usually with 

 a small, weak, median apical impression, its apex broadly truncate 

 or sub truncate, often with a faint median lobe; epomia strong, rather 

 long; mesoscutum moderately convex, poHshed or subpolished, its 

 punctures coarse, strong, rather sparse to moderately dense; notaulus 

 sharp, reaching beyond center of mesoscutum; propodeum strongly 

 convex, its basal carina sharp, complete, its apical carina forming 

 strong sublateral teeth, the rest of apical carina rather weak or absent; 

 propodeal spiracle elongate; areolet rectangular, usually elongate, 

 a little higher apically than basally; ramellus absent; nervellus basad 

 of basal vein by about 0.25 its length; base of second discoidal cell 

 broad; mediella wealdj^ arched, its median portion almost straight; 

 nervellus broken near its lower end; axillus long, moderately divergent 

 from anal margin; first abdominal segment moderately stout, with a 

 strong subbasal lateral tooth, its spiracle far be3^ond the middle and 

 postpetiole rather strongly expanded, its sternite ending opposite 

 or basad of spiracle, its petiole angled ventrolaterally and usually 

 cornered by a distinct ventrolateral carina, at least the apical part of 

 petiole with a ventrolateral carina or flange; dorsolateral carina of 

 first tergite represented by a blunt ridge that is incomplete just basad 

 of the spiracle; median dorsal carinae of first tergite absent or repre- 

 sented by low blunt ridges on base of postpetiole; second tergite mat or 

 polished, its punctures fine, usually weak, sparse or very sparse; 

 tergite 7 without a median spot but often margined with yellow or 

 white; ovipositor sheath about 0.52 as long as front wing; ovipositor 

 moderately stout to very stout, somewhat compressed, its tip wealdy 

 sagittate or simply tapered. 



Cryptanura is a predominantly Neoptropic genus. There are 

 numerous species, many of them very similar in appearance and 

 difficult to distinguish. Two species occur in eastern United 



