246 memoirs of the carnegie museum 



Family LXII. CHALCIDID.E. 

 1830. Chalcidfe, Family (paiiim), Leach, Edinb. Encyc, IX., p. 144. 

 1840. ChalcidsE, Subfaniil}^ I. (partim), Westwood, Intro. Mod. Class. Ins., I., p. 10(5, 



Synop., p. 65. 

 1846. Chalcididfc, Family II. (partim), Walker, List Clialc. Brit. Mils., I., p. 2. 

 1850. Chalcidoida;, Familie II., Forster, Hym. Stud., II., pp. 18, 21 and 29. 

 1875. Chalcidina Tribus, Thomson, Hym. Skand., IV., i^p. 11, 12. 

 1886. Chalcidinai, Subfamily (partim), Howard, Ent. Amer , I., p. 197. 

 1897. Chalcididte, Family LXIL, Ashmead, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, IV., p. 245. 

 1900. Chalcididai, Family LXIL, Ashmead, Proc. U. S. National Museum, XXIII. , 

 p. 202. 



This family, although allied to the Torymidx and to the EarytomidiV, is very 

 distinct in many particulars ; by the usually very long, subcylindrical hind coxie, 

 the greatly swollen hind femora, usually dentate or serrate beneath, by the 

 strongly arcuate hind tibia3 which are usually obliquely truncately produced at 

 apex, so that the tarsi appear to be attached a little before the tips, and by pro- 

 notal and abdominal differences. 



The group is most extensively represented in South America, where many genera 

 and many species have been discovered. 



Two subfamilies have been recognized, distinguishaljle as follows: 



TABLE OF SUBFAMILIES. 

 Front wings longitiulinallj' folded ; ovipo.sitor curving upwards and bacliwards over the dorsum of the 



abdomen Subfamily I. Leucospidin.e. 



Front wings not folded ; ovipositor when prominent, straight, not curving over the dorsum of the 



abdomen Subfamily II. CuALClDlNiE. 



Subfamily I. LEUcosPiDiNiE. 

 1833. Leucopsida^ Family, Walker, Ent. Mag., II., p. 13. 

 1839. Leucospidaj, Family XV., Haliday, Hym. Synop., p. ii. 

 1846. Leucospidee, Family I., Walker, List Chalc. Brit. Museum, I., p. 1. 

 1856. Leucospoidte, Family I., Forster, Hym. Stud., II., pp. 18, 20 and 29. 

 1886. Leucospinte, Subfamily, Howard, Ent. Amer., I., p. 197. 

 1897. Leucospidinte, Subfamily I., Ashmead, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., IV., p. 235. 



Dr. von Dalla Torre, in his Catalogus Hymenopterorum, Vol. V., has incor- 

 rectly credited this subfamily to Forster ; it should be credited to Walker, who desig- 

 nated it as a family as earl 3'^ as 1833. 



The group is a natural one, and is very distinct from the other groups of the Chal- 

 cididve, in haljits, in abdominal peculiarities — the ovipositor being curved forward 



