428 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. no 



Tribe Brachycyrtini 



Figure 13, e 



Brachycyrtus pretiosus Cusbman (fig. 13,e) was examined. 



Members of the genus Brachycyrtus are parasitic in the cocoons of 

 Chrysopidae. The Brachycyrtini have been placed by some authors 

 in a tribe of the PimpHnae. From a study of the adults, Walkley 

 (1956) reached the conclusion that the group fits best in the Cryptinae, 

 but that additional material and knowledge might prove that it 

 belongs in a subfamily of its own. The larval characters support this 

 conclusion. The form of the mandibles and head sclerites resemble 

 those of the Cryptinae rather than any other group. The position 

 of the hypostomal spur difters from that of the Pimplinae other than 

 the Labenini and Xoridini. The form of the labral sclerite differs 

 from that of the Labenini. The form of the mandible differs from 

 that of the Xoridini in that the blade is relatively longer. The 

 group is an isolated one on larval characters, and the short hypos- 

 toma is distinctive. The form of the hypostoma resembles that of 

 the Sphecophagini to some extent, although the hypostoma of the 

 Brachycyrtini is considerably shorter than that of the Sphecophagini. 

 The head of Brachycyrtus is small and delicate and the antenna was 

 not clearly visible on the preparations made. It appears to be 

 disc-shaped. 



Tribe Hemitelini (^Gelini) 



Figures 14-19, 64 



Members of this tribe attack a great variety of hosts. Many are 

 occasionally or habitually secondary parasites. The most conspicuous 

 characters of the tribe are the poorly developed epistoma and the 

 distance of the closing apparatus of the spiracle from the atrium. 



Larval Key 



1. Mandible without teeth 2 



Mandible with teeth 7 



2. Each ventrolateral part of labial sclerite expanded 3 



Labial sclerite not of this shape 6 



3. Ventral end of hypostomal spur broader than dorsal. 



Isdromas peruviana (Viereck) 

 Ventral end of hypostomal spur narrower than dorsal 4 



4. Mandibles with relatively broad blades, the tips of which do not meet in 



the median line Isdromas lycaenae (Howard) 



Mandibles with relatively narrow blades, the tips of which meet in the median 

 line 5 



5. Dorsal part of labral sclerite pointed Stilpnus 



Dorsal part of labral sclerite not pointed Atractodes 



