264 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.88 



Pentasmicra Ashmbad, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 1, p. 252, 1904. — Schmiede- 



KNECHT, Genera insectorum, fasc. 97, p. 32, 1909. — Gahan and Fagan, U. S. 



Nat. Mus. Bull. 124, p. 112, 1923. 

 Tetrasmicra Ashmead, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 1, p. 252, 1904. — Schmieden 



KNECHT, Genera insectorum, fasc. 97, p. 32, 1909. — Gahan and Fagan, U. S. 



Nat. Mus. Bull. 124, p. 143, 1923. 

 Trismicra Ashmead, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 1, p. 252, 1904. — Schmiede- 



KNECHT, Genera insectorum, fasc. 97, p. 32, 1909. — Gahan and Fagan, U. S. 



Nat. Mus. BulL 124, p. 149, 1923. 



Description. — Antennae inserted ventrad of center of frons; 

 antennal scape of male more or less broadened, scape of female slender ; 

 flagellar segments varying from stout to slender; left mandible 

 typically with two teeth, occasionally with three, right mandible 

 usually with three teeth, although division of two ventral ones may 

 be obscure; anterior dorsal margin of pronotum never completely 

 carinate; mesoscutellum provided with an apical lamina, this lamina, 

 in most species, emarginate on meson; protarsal claws never bifid at 

 apex, basal enlargement with or without small teeth ; metatibia with 

 distinct apical spine; metacoxae slightly flattened and asetose on 

 outer dorsal surface; metafemur with 3 to 28 teeth on outer ventral 

 margin; petiole varying from shorter than wide to three and one- 

 half times as long as wide; ovipositor arising far forward, female 

 abdomen always more or less acuminate ; ninth sternite of male never 

 emarginate at apex, occasionally slightly excavated on meson. 



All the species of this genus that have been reared are parasites of 

 the pupae of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, or, rarely, 

 cyclorrhaphous Diptera. The genotype, the European species 

 Spilochalcis xanthostigma (Dalman), was stated by Walker ^° to 

 parasitize a sawfly of the genus Hylotoma [=Arge of present-day 

 usage]. 



KEY TO GROUPS OF SPECIES OF SPILOCHALCIS 



1. Apex of mesoscutellum bidentate (fig. 10, e) ; both mandibles 



with only two teeth transitiva group (p. 265) 



Apex of mesoscutellum not bidentate (fig. 10, &) ; right mandible 

 always with three teeth 2 



2. Frontogenal suture wanting, clypeus only slightly wider than 



long (fig. 7, e) ; antennal sockets often on a line with ventral 



margins of compound eyes side group (p. 326) 



Frontogenal suture present, clypeus always at least twice as 

 wide as long (fig. 7, a, f); antennal sockets always dorsad of 

 ventral margins of compound eyes 3 



3. Antennal scape short, apex never reaching level of ventral mar- 



gin of anterior ocellus xanthostig'ma group (p. 307) 



Antennal scape long, apex at least reaching level of vertex, usually 

 markedly exceeding level of vertex 4 



WEnt. Mag., vol. 3, p. 22, 1835. 



