130 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



In P. damellicus, Westw., the neck of pronotum is smooth, 

 metanotum with a series of short striae at base only, hind 

 femora tridentate, head piceo-rufous witli a white streak on 

 cheeks below eyes, petiole and red legs. In Enderlein's 

 supposed davielliciis the neck of prothorax is coarsely longi- 

 tudinally striate, metanotum longitudinally striate throughout, 

 hind femora bidentate, bead black with face and cheeks red- 

 brown, petiole black with a tendency to l)ecome red-brown, 

 anterior legs red-brown, hind legs black, their femora sometimes 

 rufescent. 



These differences, especially the dentation of hind femora 

 and the coloration of the head, are characters clearly separating 

 the two species; the synonymy is therefore ParastepJianellus 

 rubrijiictiis, Elliott, = chnnellicns, Enderl. nee. Westw. 



Dr. A. Roman, writing in the 'Archiv. for Zool.,' Stockholm, 

 1917, xi, no. 4, p. 4, j^roposes to withdraw the " genus," more 

 correctly "subgenus" HemUtephanux. Enderl., as being merely 

 a group of species of Stephanus, s. str. His reasons are : 1st, 

 that this purely American group differs fron Stephanus only 

 in a single wing-character. If such character is consistent, and 

 the group, as far as we know, confined to South America, surely 

 this one character suffices to justify the erection of a subgenus. 

 2nd. that there is at least one trans- ition form (an undescribed 

 species from Matto Grosso, Brazil), iiaving the second discoidal 

 cell only very narrowly open. This slightly open cell is found 

 in many species of Stephanus, s. str. 3rd, that all the large 

 species belong to Stephanus, and nearly all the small ones to 

 Hemistejihanus (in S. America). It is a fact that the species 

 of the latter subgenus are smaller, and may be taken for what 

 it is worth. 4th, that the sole N. American HemistejyJtaniis, 

 H. texanus. Cress., differs in sculpture and colour from the 

 S. American species and appears to join on to the N. American 

 species of Stephanus. 



Cresson states, that the wings of his unique specimen were 

 too much damaged to be described. I am inclined to consider 

 it to be a StepJianus, and do not know on whose authority 

 Eoman plnces it under Hemi stephanus. To the latter genus 

 belong Megischus macuUpennis and M. submaculatus, Westwood, as 

 is proved by an examination of the types in the British Museum. 



I am of opinion, that Enderlein's subdivisions, with the 

 addition of Neostcphanus, KieS'er, should be retained. Whether 

 called " groups " or " subgenera," they are certainly of use in 

 facilitating the arrangement and determination of the ever 

 increasing number of known species of Stephanidce. 



16, Belsize Grove, N.W. 3, 

 April, 1917. 



