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XI. New Genera of British Mymaridae {Haliday). By 

 Fred. Enock, F.L.S., F.E.S., F.R.M.S. 



[Read October 6th, 1909.] 



Plates XII— XV. 



It is with no small amount of pleasure that I am able to 

 bring before the notice of entomologists eight genera of 

 Mymaridae, new to science. 



Perhaps before entering into particulars I may be 

 allowed to say that, with one or two exceptions, no 

 entomologist has taken up the study of this much-neglected 

 family of insects, since the year 1833, when Andrew 

 Haliday first established it. We are not, therefore, 

 surprised to find that in our own Entomological Society 

 there are members who are quite unaware of its existence, 

 so I may be excused for saying that this small family is 

 composed, so far as we know, of microscopic Hyriienoptera, 

 whose larvae are ovivorous in their habits. 



Possibly their microscopic size has been the cause of the 

 neglect and want of interest shown by British entomologists. 

 Haliday, after arranging the few species into seven genera, 

 seems to have given up their study and passed on his 

 manuscript to Mr. Francis Walker, who in 1846 increased 

 the genera to twelve and the species to thirty-five. 

 ("Annals and Magazine of Natural History," vol. xvii, 

 p. 49, 1846.) 



Following this in 1847, Foerster still further increased 

 the genera to fifteen and number of species doubtful — the 

 additional genera being found in Germany — but neither 

 Haliday, Walker nor Foerster published any illustrations, 

 only short descriptions from which it was impossible to 

 identify many of the species referred to. 



Such was my own experience when in 1872 I commenced 

 my own observations from a simple exhibit by Mr. 

 Frederick Fitch at the Quekett Microscopical Club. Under 

 the microscope was shown " A Fairy Fly in a Spider's 

 Web." It was illuminated on a black background, which 

 gave it the most wonderful appearance, every limb, each 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1909. — PART IV. (DEC.) 



