244 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.88 



Mexico, p. 67, 1887. — Ashmead, Ent. Amer., vol. 4, p. 87, 1888. — Daixa Torre, 

 Catalogus hymenopterorum . . ., vol. 5, p. 372, 1898. — Ashmead, Mem. 

 Carnegie Mus., vol. 1, p. 250, 1904. — Kieffer, Berliner Ent. Zeitsclir., vol. 

 49, p. 245, 1905. — Schmiedeknecht, Genera insectorum, fasc. 97, p. 30, 

 1909.— ViERECK, Connecticut Geol. and Nat. Hist. Surv. Bull. 22, p. 526, 1916. 



Description. — ^Legs and venter of body densely covered with short, 

 hydrof uge pubescence, dorsum with longer, more scattered pubescence ; 

 punctation coarse; antennae 13-segmented, inserted approximately 

 in center of frons; female flagellum slightly enlarged toward apex, 

 male flagellum uniform in size throughout, fourth antennal segment 

 always longer than any following segments ; eyes relatively small, width 

 of malar space usually one-half or more height of compound eye ; head 

 transverse when viewed from dorsal aspect; right mandible always 

 with three teeth, left with two or three teeth, dorsal one always larg- 

 est and longest; protarsal claws of male bifid at apex and provided 

 with several large spines on basal enlargement, claws of female elon- 

 gate, simple at apex, but usually with teeth or spines at base ; prepectus 

 often completely concealed, when visible, discernible as a narrow, 

 tonguelike sclerite projecting between lateral margin of mesoscutum 

 and mesopleuron; metacoxae long, slender, without a smooth asetose 

 area on dorsal surface ; forewing with cell Ri narrow (fig. 6) ; gaster of 

 abdomen globose, third abdominal segment usually occupying almost 

 half length of gaster ; ovipositor normally held nearly upright, aris- 

 ing near posterior end of abdomen; female with hypopygium con- 

 spicuously exserted (fig. 13, f,g)', ninth sternite of male slightly 

 excavated in mesal area and emarginate at apex (fig. 14, a-g). 



Bemarks. — The species of Chalcis are, where known, parasites of 

 the larvae of Stratiomyiidae and are to be taken only in cattail bogs 

 and other such marshy habitats. Ghalcis is typically northern in 

 distribution, but a few specimens referable to this genus have been 

 collected from mountainous localities in the subtropical and tropical 

 areas. 



Henneguy ^ describes and figures the ^gg and three stages in the 

 embryological development of the European species Ghalcis sispes 

 (Linnaeus). The egg of this species differs from that of most chalci- 

 doids in having a stalk at each end, rather than only at one end. 

 Bischoff ^ states that the eggs of Ghalcis are deposited in the egg masses 

 of their stratiomyiid hosts. Hart ^ has published some observations 

 on the habits of some species of Ghalcis in America. He observed the 

 adults apparently feeding on stratiomyiid eggs and reared two species 

 from their larvae. 



» Les insectes, pp. 314, 337, 1904. 



* Biologle der Hymenopteren, p. 423, 1927. 



•f nUnois State Lab. Nat. Hist. Bull. 4, p. 253, 1894. 



