460 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.57. 



Canada, Vancouver Island; Northeast Pennsylvania (Cushman); 

 Dixie Landing, Great Falls (Kirk), Hunter (Rohwer and Cushman), 

 Rosslyn, Dead Run, (Shannon) Virginia; Pisgah (Fiske), Try on 

 (Fiske), North Carolina; Cromwail and Collins, Idaho (C. V. Piper); 

 Oregon (Koebele) ; Austin, Oregon (Craighead) . 



Tribe PHYTODIETINI Cushman and Rohwer. 



Phytodieiini CvsnuAN and Rohwer, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., vol. 57, 1920, p. 393. 



Although the various species of the only genus of this tribe have 

 been placed in different subfamilies by their describers, the genus has 

 not been considered of tribal importance. 



Gravenhorst allied the species of PJiytodietus to members of the 

 subfamily Cryptinae and there are certain characters which suggest 

 such a relationship. The males, however, resemble closely some of 

 the Tryphoninae, and it is not unlikely that future arrangements will 

 place the Phytodietini close to some of the groups formed out of that 

 heterogeneous complex. 



As far as known aU of the species belonging to the genus Phytodietus 

 are parasitic on Lepidoptera; however but little is known concerning 

 the condition of the host when attacked. 



Tribal characters. — Comparatively small species with a smooth in- 

 tergument; head transverse, the temples much narrower than cepha- 

 lo-candad diameter of the eye; clypeus not sharply defined dorsaUy, 

 convex, the apical portion not depressed; mandibles v.'ith tvvo apical 

 teeth; antennae long, slender, thorax short; scutum not quite as 

 long as rest of middle part of body; mesepisternum much higher than 

 long (cephalo-candad), the prepectal carina distinct, terminating 

 about half way up on the mesepisternum and well behind its anterior 

 margin; propodeum without carinae, the spiracles oval and well re- 

 moved from the base; abdomen sessile, sUghtly compressed apicaUy; 

 ^ypopygidium not reaching apex of abdomen; ovipositor prominent, 

 spear-like apically; sheath hairy; legs slender with long calcaria; 

 claws rather short, curbed and with about six long teeth; areolet 

 rather small, triangular in outline. 



Only one genus occurs in our fauna. 



Genus PHYTODIETUS Gravenhorst. 



Phytodietus Gravehorst, Ich. Eur., vol. 2, 1829, p. 928. Genotype. — Phytodietus 

 astutus Gravenhorst (Westwood, 1840). 



Generic cliaractcrs. — Those to the tribe. Notauli present anteriorly 

 as the scutum is trilobed cephalad; nervulus instertitial or nearly; 

 nervellus perpendicular or slightly reolivous and broken below middle; 

 third antennal joint longer than following joint; discocubitus strongly 

 bent, but not angulate or with a ramulus. 



The American species of Phytodietus are closely allied and, other 

 than the structural characters offered in the following key, no charac- 



