120 PSYCHE [December 
Pteromalids with abdomen sessile, ovate, shorter than the thorax; metanotum 
not short, with spiracular sulci, median and lateral carinae, its spiracles oval; an- 
tennae 12- to 13-jointed, rather short, flagellum subclavate, the pedicel long and 
obconical, the funicle joints wider than long, inserted ventrad of the middle of the 
face about on an imaginary line drawn between the ventral ends of the eyes; thorax 
long; head with a broad vertex bearing large ocelli in an acute triangle; pronotum 
with the cephalic margin acute; marginal vein hardly longer than the stigmal vein. 
The genus lay next to Platyterma Walker and Mesopolobus Westwood from both 
of which it is separated in the table by the much shorter abdomen and its ovate shape. 
We accept this genus, and especially the species under protest and merely be- 
cause it is the wisest thing to do under the circumstances. From the standpoint of 
nomenclatorial science, the genus is proposed in an inexcusable manner; aside from 
opinions and codes which do not as yet remedy effectually this kind of systematic 
obstruction, of itself, the generic description has no specific characters in it and not 
without imagination is it thinkable that the type species is also described by it. If 
one wishes to hold that the species is described by it, however, he must admit at 
once that since the time of Linnaeus, no improvements have been made in de- 
scriptive work, besides naively overreaching his own common sense. ‘The code 
should prevent future cases of this kind. 
The position of Nasonia in the Ashmeadean tribe Eutelini of the Pteromalinae 
is not altogether tenable, for the spiracular sulci are obsolete or subobsolete, which 
would seem to ally the genus with the tribe Roptrocerini of the subfamily Merisinae. 
For the present, however, we leave the genus in the position originally ascribed to it. 
Family PTEROMALIDAE. 
Subfamily PTrEROMALINAE. 
Tribe Eutelini. 
Genus Nasonia Ashmead. 
(Type: Nasonia brevicornis Ashmead, species noya, described beyond.) 
Normal position; taken from the type species. 
Female: Normal in size or stature and aspect for the tribe; size very variable; 
moderately robust, metallic aeneous, sheened. 
Head (cephalic aspect) elliptical-oval with the long axis latero laterad, that is 
wider than long the eyes forming the apices, slightly bilobed, the median line of the 
face obtusely concaved or impressed, in which impression lie the scapes, the scrobes 
