UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



TECHNICAL BULLETINS 



COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 



ENTOMOLOGY 



Vol. 1, No. 9, pp. 369-464, plates 2-16 November 21, 1922 



THE TAXONOMY OF THE MASARID WASPS, 



INCLUDING A MONOGRAPH ON THE 



NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES 



BY 



JAMES CHESTER BRADLEY 



INTRODUCTION 



Fifteen years ago, having before me all the described North Amer- 

 ican masarid wasps, I prepared tables for their identification. This was 

 an interesting and easy task, as their characters are distinct and easily 

 described. The manuscript remained unpublished while I awaited 

 opportunity to determine the relations of American species of Masaris 

 with the North African vespiformis, the type species of the genus. 

 Later, at the suggestion of Dr. Joseph Bequaert, I renewed the study 

 of this group, rewrote the tables, and added descriptions of all the 

 North American species. 



I have studied the wings, mouth parts, and male genitalia of all 

 the North American species, and of species of several exotic genera. 

 The results are of interest particularly in establishing clearly the re- 

 lations of American species with Masaris of North Africa and with 

 Trinieria. In addition, sufficient facts have been disclosed to make 

 advisable a tentative revision of the classification of the family, which 

 I present in the form of the subjoined tables. In view of the scanti- 

 ness of my material, I do not presume to think that this classification 

 will have more than a temporary value, but I do believe that it is an 

 improvement, taxonomically speaking, over what has preceded, and 

 it will at least correct certain errors in the existing keys. 



