136 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 



10. Genus Periope 



Figure 172,a,b 



Periope Haliday, 1839, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. 2, p. 114. Type: Periope auscultator 

 Haliday; monobasic. 



Monoplectron Holmgren, 1856, Svenska Vetensk. Akad. Handl., ser. 3, vol. 42, 

 pp. 64, 81. Type: (Monoplectron zygaenator Holmgren)= auscultator Hali- 

 day; monobasic. 



Oligoplectron Foerster, 1868, Verh. Naturh. Ver. Rheinlande vol. 25, p. 161. 

 Type: Periope auscultator Haliday; designated by Viereck, 1914. 



Monoplectrochus Heinrich, 1949, Mitt. Munchner Ent. Ges. vol. 35-39, p. 109. 

 Type: Monoplectrochus hoerhammeri Heinrich; original designation. 



Front wing 4.5 to 6.0 mm. long; body punctures of moderate size, 

 sharp, usually close; face and clypeus rather strongly convex trans- 

 versely, weakly convex longitudinally, the clypeus a little more 

 convex than the face and separated from face by a broad, weak, 

 transverse impression ; interantennal process of face a little acuminate 

 from front view, extending between antennal sockets as a semi- 

 circular lamella but not running up on to frons; temple moderately 

 convex; occipital carina moderately strong, incomplete next to 

 hypostomal carina; cheek 0.5 to 0.8 as long as basal width of mandible; 

 mandible rather broad, somewhat tapered toward apex, its outer 

 face with coarse punctures, its apical teeth both large and approxi- 

 mately equal in size; apex of labrum projecting a little; flagellum 

 more or less enlarged toward apex, definitely clavate; upper margin 

 of pronotum posteriorly a little swollen, anteriorly not swollen and 

 with a shallow submarginal impression; propleurum weakly convex; 

 scutellum strongly convex, without a lateral carina; areolet small, 

 stalked above; nervulus postfurcal by about 0.5 its length; nervellus 

 broken near its lower 0.4; prepectal carina extending dorsally only 

 to a little above level of lower corner of pronotum, its upper end 

 distant from front margin of mesopleurum; sternaulus a broad weak 

 impression or almost lacking; metapleurum smooth, polished, with 

 numerous moderately close, sharp punctures; propodeum rather 

 short, strongly convex in profile, rather complete^ carinated except 

 that the costula is absent and the median basal area and areola are 

 confluent; propodeal spiracle oval to subcircular; legs moderately 

 stout; second trochanter of front and middle legs incompletely fused 

 with the femur; spurs of middle tibia rather long, the front spur a 

 little shorter than the hind spur; hind tibia with a single long spur 

 (all other genera of Metopiinae have two spurs on the hind tibia); 

 tarsal claws apparently simple except in the female of P. auscultator, 

 which has them coarsely pectinate; abdomen somewhat clavate; first 

 tergite rather narrow basally, its spiracle near or a little beyond its 

 middle; median longitudinal carinae of first tergite sharp for most 



