316 Sir S. S. Saunders on the habits and affinities 



sorum of Europe must be regarded as perfectly distinct 

 from the Oriental type represented by the Cynips Psenes 

 of Linna?us. 



In none of these instances is any clue afforded to the 

 rnales. But the Montjiellier specimens were associated 

 with many apterous individuals, somewhat approximating 

 to the Si/cocrt/pta of Coquerel ; while an allied species of 

 Apocrypta (now exhibited) has been recently found in 

 the sycamore figs of Egypt, consorting in broods Avith the 

 ^iycophaya crassipes; as Coquerel's Apocryptce. were met 

 with in the IMauritius figs of Ficns terragena in company 

 with his Idarnes : and the habits of all, as emanating from 

 the seeds, being identical, it would seem to be conclusively 

 shown hereby that the apterous forms are, in reality, the 

 males, and not, as Coquerel conceived, the females of some 

 unknown males ; thus leaving his Idarnes equally without 

 a partner : nor does it appear that any other species of 

 this genus or family has hitherto been wedded to a recog- 

 nized mate. 



In another allied genus, the Sycohia of Walker (Notes 

 on Chalcid, p. 60), found in the figs of the Ficus Indica of 

 Ilindostan, a brood of ''^ neuters'^.'''' or '■' loorhers?''^ has 

 been described, which are apterous (" Ala3 nulla3 "), with 

 "long'curved mandibles like those of Scleroderma" and 

 having " some resemblance to Apocrypta and Sycocrypta 

 in the structure of the abdomen," furnished "with two 

 apical appendages which equal it in length and resemble 

 the cerci of the Dermuptera." They have eyes and 

 8-jointed(?) antennae, with the 1st joint much incrassated. 

 The same inferences point to these as the males. 



In the Montpellier specimens, associated with Blasto- 

 phaga grossorum ?, Gr., the abdomen of the males is 

 shar|)ly deflexed and entirely concealed by doubling be- 

 neath the thorax ; Avhereas in Coquerel's Sycocrypta it is 

 turned upwards instead of downwards, passing over the 

 thorax and projecting far beyond the head (" I'extremite 

 bilobee du thorax repose sur le sol, I'abdomen se dirige 

 en haut, et depasse de beaucoup la tete." Coq. 1. c. 

 p. 424). In the aforesaid males of Blastophaga, it con- 

 sists of a large globose basal distention, constituting four 

 segments ; which are followed by three more, forming a 

 short tube, gradually tapering to an obtuse apex ;* the 



* Dr. Coquerel. while assigning fix^e segments to the globose section of 

 the abdumcn in his S(/cocrij2>ta, considers its attenuated jirolongation to 



