

AUSTRALIAN 



HYMENOPTERA CHALCIDOIDEA/VII * 



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The Family Encyitidae vvilli Desciiplions of New Genera and Species. 

 By a. A.<^irault. 



\^^ \ INTRODUCTION. f* 



This great grouisVu the Austrafliau fauna, is very nearly as numerous in sijeoles as^he 

 M EulophidiO. Five distiuot\subfaniilies are rei-c.guised — the Encyrtinie, the Eupehninaff the 



(* "~^Signiphorinie, the TaneostigTniniii and tlie Aplielinin>n. The latter group in recent years has 

 been placed with the Eulojihidai, untenably sci. V B • i\S 



From a distance, this is tlie most iinlikable family in the clialcidoid series but close 

 acquaintance reveals so many fascinating qiuUities that students, after some experience, ivill 

 no doubt choose it as a favorite. The remarkable diversity in structure, the wonderful color 

 patterns, the unique and odd special structural enormities, the great structural likeness of the 

 members of a genus, the .lumping habit, the ]iresent uncertainty regarding relationshijis, the 

 whole diverse and varied panorama is such tliat the most t(U-pid of interests umst finally 

 become conscious of a spell. 



The family was to me a "black beast." It had been left until last and finally attacked 

 with the determination born of despair. This was due nminly to my inability to place species 

 in their proper genera and I must confess that for the tirst three months during which species 

 in this group were steadily described hardly one was jilaced into its proper genus. My inter- 

 pretation of a genus became gradually clearer as experience increased and Ashniead's (1904) 

 tables of the Encyrtinaj, formerly thrown aside as worthless, are now accepted in the main as 

 good. The generic differences are smaller than I had thought. Such characters, however, as 

 pubescence, sculpture and wing pattern nuist be ignored as regards genera. 



The genus Eupchiuis is large. Ashniead's table of the Eupelminie must be condemned; 

 it is based, in this instance, upon too trifling characters — luibescence on the eyes and the 

 incisions of the caudal margins of the abdominal segments are highly variable characters; 

 some of the language used is misleading; a number of the genera must fall as synonyms. 



In some of the encyrtiue genera, it is extraordinary that two species may occur whiih 

 are alike in every detail except for some structural characteristic easily overlooked; for example 

 Baoaimsia inagiiiclava- and B. pcrsiiniUs; in the latter, the axillas are a little separated while 

 in the former they are joined and with the usual carina between them. 



The family is open to philosophical treatment of the highest order. 



SUBF.\ M I L Y E U PELMIN^E. 



Many of the genera in this group have been founded upon two variable characters and 

 Ashniead's table of genera, as stated bcfoi-e, is very poor. It is surprising that the autennai 

 have not been used more for principal divisions. Some of the genera. a|)i>arently, do not jiossess 

 these organs for all we know to the contrary. 



• Contribution No. 30, Entomological Laboratory, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, Bundaberg, 

 •Queensland. 



