2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.70 



CLASSIFICATION 



Superfamily CHALCIDOIDEA 

 Family CALLIMOMIDAE 

 Subfamily Callimominae 



Genus CALLIMOME Spinola 



Callimo me Spin Oh A, Ann. Mus. Nat., vol. 17, 1811, pp. 146-148. Genotype, 

 Ichneumon bedeguaris Linnaeus. (Designated by Curtis.) 



Misocampus Latreille, Nouv. diet. hist, nat., ed. 2, 1817, p. 213. 



Torymus Dalman, Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., vol. 41, 1820, pp. 135-158. 



Syntoniaspis Forster, Hym. Stud., vol. 2, 1856, p. 43-44. Genotype, Synio- 

 maspis (eurynotus Forster) =cyaneus Boheman. 



Syntomaspis Forster, W. H. Ashmead, Memoirs Carnegie Museum, vol. 1, 

 No. 4, 1904, p. 241. 



Additional references used in the preparation of this paper are 

 Dalla Torre's Catalogus Hymenopterorum, volumes 2 and 5, and 

 Gahan and Fagan's List of Genotypes, Bulletin 124, United States 

 National Museum, 1923. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS 



The subfamily Callimominae is characterized, according to Dr. W. 

 H, Ashmead (1904) by having two spurs on the hind tibiae, a hind 

 femur which is smooth on its lower margin (except that in a few spe- 

 cies this margin may be minutely roughened) and a very short stig- 

 mal vein. The antennae have 13 joints. 



Generic characters. — Antenna with one ring-joint, the joints of the 

 f unicle more or less uniform ; transverse cross furrow on the posterior 

 one-third of the scutellum very deep to very inconspicuous; stigmal 

 vein shortly petioled to sessile, and never as long as the postmarginal 

 vein; marginal vein shorter than the submarginal; abdomen sessile. 



A careful study of the generic characters as indicated, together with 

 the characterization of the subfamily to which the genus belongs, 

 should make it easily possible to recognize the genus Callimome. 

 In addition to these characters a knowledge of the habitus of the 

 genus is often of special value in giving a clear perspective. As is 

 true apparently of the majority of the species belonging to the sub- 

 family Callimominae, the most of the species belonging to the genus 

 Callimome are parasitic on gall making or gall inhabiting insects. 

 Exceptions to this general rule are a few species which are phytopha- 

 gous. While it is quite likely that the majority of the still undiscov- 

 ered and undescribed species will belong to the truly parasitic group 

 rather than the phytophagous group, yet it is not improbable that 

 many species having the phj^tophagous habit or some variation of this 

 habit will be discovered later. It is to be expected, too, that we will 



