MKOASTYLL'S. 341 



Genus MEGASTYLUS, Schidd. 



Mef/asti/his, Schiiidte, Giier. ^lafi'. Zonl. 1889, Ins. pi. vi. 



He'Uctes, Ilalida}', Ann. Xat. Hist, ii, 1839, p. 115. 



Letos/ia, Cameron, Jouni. Bombay Xat. Hist. 8oc. 1909, p. 725. 



(tEkottpe, M. cruentata, Scbitid. 



Head subtrausverse, constricted towards the mouth; face 

 slightly, and eyes very distinctly, prominent ; the subcircuLar 

 vertex strongly discrete from the occiput ; clypeus arched ; man- 

 dibular teeth slightly unequal ; labrum not exserted. Antennae 

 elongate, setaceous, at least 30-jointed ; scape subglobose ; no 

 flagellar joints emargiuate, nor the first shorter than second. 

 Mesothorax elevated, with the notauli weakly impressed; meta- 

 tliorax usually rectangular, and not perpendicularly truncate at 

 apex ; metanotum not basally areated, nor ti-ansversely carinate in 

 the centre. Scutellum convex. Abdomen deplanate and spatulate, 

 not laterally compressed; basal segment narrow, elongate, with 

 the spiracles slightly before its centre ; terebra very shortly or 

 hardly exserted, straight. AVings distinctly uan-ow ; areolet 

 entirely wanting ; stigma not abnormally narrow ; nervellus sub- 

 opposite and obsoletely intercepted a little below its centre. 



Range. Palaearctic and Xearctic Eegions. 



This is a widely distributed geiuis, somewhat rich in species in 

 both hemisphei'es. For a long period it was regarded as pertaining 

 to the Tryphonin.i: ; but modern authors seem fairly unanimous 

 in placing it in the Plectiscini group of the Ophionix.t:, which 1 

 consider erroneous, since the strongly deplanate abdomen and 

 concealed terebra point to affinity with the former subfamily. 

 But, as remarked by Ashmead (Proc. U.S. Xat. Mus. 1900, 

 p. 101), the Plectiscini, as at present constituted, are scarcely a 

 natural group ; and this is one of its most abnormal genera. The 

 single Indian species at present known was erroneously placed in 

 a new genus by Cameron and appears to bear considerable resem- 

 blance to Jlesolejjtus alhocoVurh, Cresson (Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 

 1S68, p. 100; cf. Davis, op. cit. 1897, p. 1^46); the former says 

 respecting it, "the precise affinities of this genus may be left over 

 until its $ is known. From the position of the abdominal spiracles 

 1 refer it, for the present, to the Trtphoxid.e, tribe JMesoleptini,'' 

 where he had previously relegated true Lissonoto'. 



-!43. Megastylus longicoxis. Cam. 



Letosha longicoxis, Cameron,* Jouru. Bombay Xat. Hist. Soc. 1909, 

 p. 725 ( 5 , as c? ). 



2 . A somewhat small and very slender species. Head small 

 and subquadrate, nearly parallel behind tlie mutilated eyes ; 

 o<'ci])ital carina very strong; vertex broad, sparsely punctate, with 

 a few long griseous hairs and a distinct longitudinal sulcus ; frons 

 deplanate and nitidulous ; face glabrous and strongly nitidulous, 



