RECENT LITEIIA.TUBE. 227 



Monotjraph of the North American Proctotrypicla. By W. H. Ashmead. 

 Washington. 1893. 



This work, being the forty-fifth bulletin of the U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 cannot fail to be of immense vahie to the student of the American 

 fauna north of Mexico. The descriptions are good and accurate, and 

 the drawings, — of which there are eighteen plates, — outlines of the 

 various genera, will be sufficient to help even the field-worker to find 

 at a glance any insect he requires. 



Mr. Ashmead thinks that the Proetotrypidte are not closely allied 

 to the Chalcididfe, and with him I quite agree. They have more 

 affinity with the parasitic Cynipid», and are not far removed from the 

 Evaniidfe and Pelecinidffi. 



In the Introduction directions are given as to distinguishing a 

 Proctotrypid from the Chalcididae and Aculeate Hymenoptera. 



The life-history is graphically described, and the distribution of the 

 family shows that the author is not unacquainted with his subject. 



The following analysis will give a faint idea of the construction of 

 the work. The Proctotrypidfe are divided into ten subfamilies : — 

 (1) Bethylinfe, (2) Embolemime, (3) Dryininfe, (4) Proctotrypinfe, (5) 

 Ceraphronin^e, (6) Belytinte, (7) Diapriin®, (8) Platygasterinns, (9) 

 Scelioninfe, (10) Helorinae. 



The first subfamily contains seventeen genera, two being new, 

 Dlssoiiiphrdas and Lcelim. EmboleminjB consists of three genera, one 

 described as new, AmpuUcomorpha. The third family consists of nine 

 genera, two being new, Bocchus and Phorbas. The Ceraphroninns are 

 divided into two tribes — (1) Megaspilini, founded upon "marginal vein 

 stigmated, antennte with same number of joints in both sexes, 

 11-jointed " ; and (2) Ceraphronini, " marginal vein not stigmated, 

 linear antennae with a less number of joints in the females than in the 

 males ; males 10- or 11-jointed, females 9- or 10-jointed." The former 

 contains nine genera, the latter three, one being new, Neoceraphron. 

 The ScelioninsB are divided into four tribes — (1) Telenomi, (2) Bceini, 

 (3) Teleauni, (4) Scelionini. The first contains six genera, three, 

 Trissulcus, Dissolcus, Aradopharius, being new. The second consists 

 of five genera, one being new, Ceratobietis. The third contains seven 

 genera, one new, Hoplof/yron. The last section contains nineteen 

 genera, the following being new : — Calliscelio, Ckromoteleia, Opis- 

 thaeantha, Lapitha, Hoploteleia, CreinastrobiEUs, Acaathoscelio, Scelio- 

 vwrpha. The Platygasterinse are divided into two tribes — Inostemmini, 

 " anterior wings with a distinct clavate submarginal vein " ; Platij- 

 gasterini, " anterior wings entirely veinless, rarely with indications of a 

 submarginal vein, which if present is very short and never clavate." 

 The first section contains seven genera, the second seventeen, two 

 being new, Ccelopelta and Eritrksomenis. Proctotrypinse contains three 

 genera — Disogmus, Forst., Proctotrypes, Lat., and Codriis, Jur. The 

 Belytinae contains nineteen genera, whilst the Diapriin^e are divided 

 into two tribes — Spilomicrini, " submarginal reaching the costa at about 

 half of the wing or a little before, costal cell most frequently closed "; 

 Diapruni, "submarginal vein never reaching the costa beyond one- 

 third of the wing ; costal cell most frequently open." The former 

 consists of twelve genera, three being new, llemilexodes, Tropidupds, 



