( xvi ) 



(in Eupristiyia and Blastophaga a joint appears between the 2nd and 3rd of 

 the other genera, making the produced joint count as the 4th). Abdomen 

 oval and cylindric, or tapering and compressed ; 5th ventral segment 

 elongate, cultriforni ; ovipositor exserted. Wings developed ; venation 

 Chalcidian. 



Male. Mandibles short, bidentate; palpi obsolete. Antennae short, 

 3 — 7 jointed. Abdomen with the four basal joints swollen ; the following 

 joints slender and tubiform ; claspers represented by two divergent dentate 

 appendages. Wings wanting. 



These characters exclude the Haplostoniata of Saunders, a group which 

 may prove to be parasitic. They have not the peculiar characters of the 

 veritable seed-feeders. Should they prove to be sycophagous the term 

 Sycophagides should be retained for them, as the genus Sycophaga is 

 included; otherwise Saunders' term Sycocolacides may be employed. 



Francis Walker's descriptions of fig-insects in the 'Entomologist' of 

 January, 1875, which have appeared so unsatisfactory to recent students, 

 admit of ready explanation if we bear in mind that they were not com- 

 municated for publication by Mr. Walker himself, but were found among 

 his papers and published after his death. Tliey bear internal evidence of 

 having been written before Part IV. of his ' Notes on Chalcidise' was pub- 

 lished (1871), and a comparison of the descriptions in the two publications 

 shows that he had not intended to publish these ' Entomologist ' descriptions 

 at all, as they are mere duplicate or synonymous descriptions of those 

 published in the ' Notes,' and are based on the same specimens. The 

 synonymy is as follows : — 



Sycophila, Walk., 1871 (= Pseudisa and Isanisa, Walk., 1875). 



Sycophila megastigmgides. Notes, p. 64 ^= Pseudisa smicroides, Eutom. 

 viii. 15. 



Sycophila decatomoides. Notes, p. 64 = Isanisa decatomoides, Entom. 

 viii. 16. 



Sycobia, Walk., 1871 (:= Agrianisa, Walk., 1875). 



Sycobia bethyloides " ? ", Notes, p. 60 = Agrianisa myrmecoides, Entom. 

 viii. 17. 



Walker's description of the petiole in Agrianisa as " extremely developed, 

 longer than tlie metathorax" mi^^ht appear to invalidate this synonymy, 

 but the specific name, myrmecoides, shows that by ''petiole" he meant the 

 whole first abdominal segment. 



PoLANiSA, Walk., 1875 (= IdarneUa, Westw., 1883). 

 PoLANlSA tkansiens (Walk.). 



Idanies trausiens, Notes, p. 62 = Polanisa Intea, Entom. viii. 18. 

 IdarneUa transiens, West., Trans. Bnt. Soc. Lond., 1883, p. 37. 



