Mr. E. E. Turner 07i Fossorial Ilymenoptera. 605 



quointed with more important papers published earlier in 

 1910. As a result several o£ his names must sink as 

 synonyms. He places all the American Thynnidse in the 

 genus EUiphroptera, considering that the material available 

 is insufficient for division into small genera. This division 

 has already been attempted, and as the genera founded by 

 Guerin were based on careful dissections and arc confirmed 

 by differences in the more recently discovered females, I 

 think they should have been allowed to stand. But 

 M. Brethes makes no attempt to group the species according 

 to their natural affinities, and only once makes a note of 

 comparison ; his key to the males is based almost entirely 

 on colour, and the descriptions are arranged somewhat after 

 the order in which the species fall in the key to the males. 

 Now the utter unreliability of colour-characters in this 

 familj?^ has been shown by M. Andre in his valuable paper 

 on the Thynnidce of Concepcion, which is not referred to by 

 M. Brethes. The descriptions are fortunately fairly com- 

 plete, except where neuration is of importance, though there 

 is much difficulty in giving a correct idea of the shape of the 

 male clypeus in few words and without the help of plates. 



The following synonymy may, 1 think, be regarded as 

 certain ; probably more will be added later. 



Scotfsna polistoides, Turn. 



Scot^ena polistoides, Turn. Zool. Jabvb. xxix. 2, p. 182 (1910). 

 Elaphroptera diodon, Brethes, An. Miis. Nac. Buenos Aires, xx. p. 221 

 (1910). 



Spilothynnus bituberculatus, Turn. 



Telephoromyia bituherculata, Turn. Trans. Eut, Soc. Loudon, p. 70 



(1908). 5 . 

 SpUothyyiniis bituberculata, Turu. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) iii. p. 132 



(1909). c^. 

 Elaphroptera mendozuna^ Brethes, An. Mas. Nac. Buenos Aires, xx. 



p. 237 (1910). d 5 . 



^inlothynnus (?) stygius. Turn. 



Spilothynnus stygius, Turn. Zool. Jahrb. xxix. 2, p. 190 (1910). S • 

 Elaphroptera melanosoma, Brethes, An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, xx. 

 p. 235 (1910). (S $ • 



Ammodroinus ingenuus, Sm. 



Thynnus inyenuus, Sm. Descr. n. sp. Hymen, p. 173 (1879) (nee 



Br(5thes). 

 Elaphroptera fasciatella, Brethes, An. Mus. Nac. Bueuos Aires, xx. 



p. 232 (1910). 



