fHinsiDiD.T:. 



415 



Truie tubulifera. 



Family CHRY8IDID.E. 



The members of the tribe Tahiilifcni are entirely parasitic, and 

 occupy a position intermediate between the true Parasitica and 

 the Aculeata. According to M. du Buysson, who has made a 

 special study of the tribe, the Tuhidifera are allied to tlie family 

 Froctotrypida' of the Parasitica, but they have the trochanters of 

 the legs one-jointed, and one genus, Cleptes, possesses both poison- 

 glands and sting, thus bringing the tribe into close I'elationship 

 with the true Aculeata. The Tuhidifera comprise but one family, 

 the Chrysidido' or Cuckoo-wasps, characterized by a very hard and 

 chitinous covering, more or less strongly and closely punctured, 

 and always brilliant with metallic colours, chiefly greens and blues, 

 with or without cupreous red or goldeu tints or spots. 



Fig. 14G. — i 'h rt/sis. 



A. Fore wing: a, costal cell: b, medial cell; c, siibiuedial cell; il, stigma; 



e, radial cell : f, 1st discoidal cell. 



B. Hind wing. C. Head. 



D. Antenna: a, scape; h, flagellwm. 



E. Leg: a, coxa; Ji, trochanter; c, femur; d, tibia: e, tai'sus. 



The head may be entirely rounded, subcubical or more or less 

 triangular, often transverse, broader than long; the mandibles 

 short and slightly curved, simple or dentate at apex, in repose 

 hidden under the clypeus ; clypeus transverse, very short, often 

 porrect in the middle, occasionally anterioi'ly emarginate ; cheeks 

 and sides of the head behind the eyes short, the latter rarely some- 

 what produced ; face up to the front and between the eyes more 

 or less deeply hollow, concave ; the antenna), when at rest, folding 

 into the cavity; anteiuuT simple, in one genus, Plenroeera (so far 

 not recorded from India), the joints of the flagellum are curiously 

 flattened and twisted ; front and vertex more or less convex ; 

 occiput transverse, emarginate or roiuided ; eyes very large, lateral ; 



