194 



AMEPaCAN HYMENOPTERA. 



Kig. 1. 



European specialists in this family usually recommend Thomson's 

 " Opuscula Entomologica" at the present time. There are many 

 desirable features about Thomson's work that recommend it, and 

 for the classification of European material it quite likely is prefer- 

 able. The great disadvantage to American workers in using this 

 classification is that Thomson has entirely ignored Foerster's genera, 

 which have priority if recognized, and adopted many new names 

 which must later become synonyms, at least in part. Until this 

 synonymy is cleared up the older works seem the safer. 



Foerster's synopsis would have had much more worth had he given 

 some characters with the table of genera ; quite a few of his genera, 



too, are based upon characters 

 too unstable and variable to 

 be permanent. Many of these 

 genera must be cut out and 

 discarded, or strengthened by 

 characters overlooked by the 

 author. This seems especially true of the Tryphonina. In the main 

 the synopsis is a grand one, and shows much thought and study 

 in its preparation. The pri- 

 mary division of tribes (fami- 

 lies as he classes them) is much 

 in advance of Holmgren's sub- 

 families, but there is still a 

 chance for improvement. Sev- 

 eral changes have been made 

 in the original tables, many of 

 them from suggestions made in 

 Thomson's work ; more can be 

 made with farther study. 



The genera, or groups of pj^ ^ 



genera, that have been found l. Basal, or first medinn area; 2. Superior, 



• 1 1 J? or second median area ; 3. Apical, petiolar, or 



to be too variable tor use are third median area; 4 External, or first lateral 



, - . , , ] 4.1 area; 5. Area dentipara, external median, or 



marked with an J, and those second laternl area; 6. internal, middle apical, 



, I i? • or third lateral area; 7. Spiracular, or first 



not represented so tar in our pleural area: 8. Lateral, middle pleural, or 



,, 1 ] -i-l ;!' second pleural area; 9. Angular, or third 



own launaare marked Wltn a '\ pleural area; mm. Median longitudinal car- 



r, 11 , .1 iraj; L.L. Lateral longiuidinal carinae ; PP. 



beveral cnaracters, not nere- Pleural carinai ; BB. Basal, transverse, or or- 



, n 1 • „l„„^;c^„+,V,,, dinary transverse carinae; AA. Apical trans- 



totore used in our ClasSltlCatlOn ,^,erse carina; p. petiole of abdomen; sp. 



of the Ichneumonidi^, have "P'™*^^*^- 



been found to be of great value. One of these is the clypeus, 



