Mr. R. Shelford’s Studies of the Blattide. 15 
Or 
VII. A New Genus oF SyMBIoTic BLATTIDA. 
Genus Sphecophila, nov. 
Superficially resembling Attaphila, Wheel., but tegmina absent in 
the male ; subgenital lamina of male provided with two styles ; 
femora unarmed beneath ; no arolia between tarsal claws ; frons 
swollen ; eyes reduced ; ocelli present; antenne short, but conform- 
ing to normal Blattid type. 
The only known species was taken from the nest of 
the wasp, Polybia pygmea, Fab., in French Guiana. 
We have in this little cockroach* an example of the 
difficulties which beset the systematist when he has to 
deal with aberrant species modified by peculiar habits and 
environment to a similar general facies. 
The genus Atfaphila contains two species of myrme- 
cophilous cockroaches, A. fungicola, Wheel., and A. bergi, 
Bol., found respectively in the nests of Atta fervens, Say, 
in Texas, and Atta lundi, Guer., in Uruguay. Wheeler, 
who first made known the genus (Amer. Nat. vol. xxxiv, 
p. 851, 1900), suggests that among the Blattidze it occupies 
“a peculiar if not unique taxonomic position ;” and Bolivar 
(Comm. del. Mus. Nac. d. Buenos Aires, p. 333, 1901) 
creates for its reception the sub-family Attaphiline, regard- 
ing the peculiar antennal characters of high importance. 
This sub-family takes its place in the first of the two great 
divisions in which the Blattidee have been brigaded, viz. 
that in which the femora are spined beneath. Sphecophila 
cannot be placed in this division, for the femora are un- 
armed beneath; much less then can it be placed in the 
sub-family Attaphilinz, though its general resemblance to 
Attaphila is most striking. Must then a new sub-family 
be created for the reception of Sphecophila? I think not; 
the multiplication of sub-divisions for the reception of 
anomalous genera is a practice to be deprecated for many 
reasons, chief among which is the consideration that it 
tends to obscure the relationships which must exist 
between these anomalous genera and genera of more 
normal type. In my opinion Adéaphila may be regarded 
as an aberrant Phyllodromiine, akin to Zoboptera, Br., or 
Temnopteryx, Br., and Sphecophila as an aberrant member 
TRANS. ENT, SOC. LOND. 1906.—PART IV. (JAN. 1907) 34 
