Mar. 1899.] Ashmead: On Synopses of Families of Hvmenoptera. 45 



SUPER-FAMILIES IN THE HYMENOPTERA AND 



GENERIC SYNOPSES OF THE FAMILIES THYN- 



NIDiE, MYRMOSID^ AND MUTILLID^. 



By William H. Ashmead, 



Assistant Curator, Department of Insects, U. S. A'ational Aluseum. 



The three families, Thynnidffi, Myrmosidce and Mutillidae have 

 never been properly defined, or characterized, and their genera, at 

 present, on account of the diversity between the sexes, and the diffi- 

 culties attending their proper correlation, are in utter confusion, and 

 often wrongly placed. This confusion is also due, to a certain extent, 

 to a lack of sufficient study, and the careless and insufficient charac- 

 terization of some of the species and genera by the original describers, 

 so that until lately it has been impossible to bring them into anything 

 like order. 



This statement is well exemplified in Blake's description of the 

 genus Photopsis. The genus is not only most carelessly and meagrely 

 described, but the type of the genus is not mentioned ; besides Blake 

 has placed in it species that do not agree at all with his meagre de- 

 scription. I find placed in it, and in another geuus characterized by 

 him, representing females, representatives of no less than six distinct 

 genera, some of which do not belong to the Mutillidae at all, but to an 

 allied family, characterized here under the name Myrmosidc'e. 



During the past two or three years I have devoted much time to the 

 study of large series of the Mutillida;, and the closely allied families, 

 and have been able to correlate the sexes of most of the genera, either 

 from specimens bred, taken in coitu, or from structural characters. 

 The results of these studies I desire to present here succinctly, with 

 the hope that it will help to clear up much of the existing confusion in 

 these families, and thus make it easier sailing for other students. 



The Hymenoptera may be conveniently separated into ten very 

 natural superfamilies, and these again into minor families. In order 

 that these may be recognized and to show the position that I believe 

 the Thynnidae, Myrmosida^ and Mutillidae should occupy, I give below 

 a table for distinguishing these superfamilies, and a table of the families 

 of the Vespoidea, the superfamily to which they belong. 



Attention is also called to the position assigned the Vespidae, Eu- 



