378 University of California Publications [Entomology 



The wings of Masaridinae are ordinarily not longitudinally plaited, 

 and this is used by some authors as the one character for separating 

 the "family" from other Diploptera. In Celomtes, however, the wings 

 are as completely plaited as in any other Diploptera. 



The majority of Masaridinae have cells R^ and R, of the forewing 

 united (two closed submarginal cells), whereas in most other Diplop- 

 tera these cells are separate (three closed submarginal cells). In 

 Euparagia, however, cells R^ and R^ are separate, and also in one 

 or two of Cameron's genera (if they be really Masaridinae). While 

 most other Diploptera have both the veins M3+4 and M2 arising from 

 the cell R5, a few genera (Raphiglossinae) agree with Euparagia in 

 having M^ arise from the cell R^. 



While most Masaridinae have toothed claws, like many eumenid 

 Diploptera and unlike most vespid Diploptera, certain genera, as 

 Pseudomasaris, etc., have simple claws, as has also Euparagia. 



The vespid Diploptera usually have two spurs on the middle tibia ; 

 the Eumeninae proper have only one, but several species usually classed 

 as Eumenidae have two. Many genera of the Masaridinae have two 

 spurs, several genera have one, and sometimes the number varies within 

 the genus. 



I am familiar with the male genitalia of only a few genera of 

 Vespid and of Eumenid Diploptera. In these the squama is acute at 

 apex and separate from the ramus. In Masaridinae it is more often 

 blunt and almost always fused to the ramus. But in Euparagia it is 

 separate as in other Diploptera. The genitalia of some genera of 

 Masaridinae differ more radically from the more primitive condition 

 found in other Masaridinae than do the latter from those of Vespa or 

 Odynerus. 



In many of these characters Euparagia is the connecting link 

 that breaks down the distinctions between other "Masaridae" and 

 ''Eumenidae." As a result, the only tenable rank for the masarine 

 wasps, it seems to me, is as one or two subfamilies, along with the 

 several subfamilies into which the old families Vespidae and 

 Eumenidae may best be divided, of the single comprehensive family, 

 Vespidae. 



