20 ICHNEUMOICIDJG. 



difficult. Thus in the ICHNEUMONI>M: instances occur in which the 

 outer nerrure of the areolet is at least pellucid; or again, the 

 wings may be so abbreviated as to possess no trace of an areolet ; 

 the abdomen is occasionally compressed, and its basal segment 

 may be as little sculptured as in the CEYPTIN.E ; and lastly, the 

 terebra may be very distinctly exserted. In all these exceptions, 

 however, it will be found that the mesopleurse are not separated 

 from the mesoternum, as is invariably the case in all the CBYP- 

 TIN.. In these the terebra is rarely not at all exserted, the 

 areolet is in some instances quite square or with its outer nervure 

 so completely wanting that only the petiolate abdomen prevents 

 such species from being included in the TBYPHONIN^:. No reli- 

 able character has yet been enunciated by which to discriminate 

 between the males of the PIMPLIX^: and TBYPHOXINJE, though the 

 exserted terebra will at once distinguish females of the former ; 

 in the tribes XOBLDLDES and PIMPLIDES the males are at once 

 known by the very distinctly tuberculate abdomen, but in the 

 LissoifOTiDEB, etc., the surface is smooth. The OPHIONINJE even, 

 which differ from all other subfamiles in their compressed abdo- 

 men, may become accidentally deplanate from artificial causes. 

 The following diagnoses may assist in the elaboration of the 

 above table. 



Subfamily PIMPLPSJE. 



Head transverse, more rarely tumidulous, buccate or sub- 

 globose; eyes often emarginate next the scrobes ; clypeus usually 

 convex and excavate before its apex ; mandibles a little narrowed 

 apically, teeth subequal. Antenna? filiform or setaceous, very 

 rarely centrally excised- .Thorax stout, often deplanate discally ; 

 pronotum sometimes elongate ; mesonotum rarely transversely 

 striate, notauli deep and. elongate ; metathorax rarely with dis- 

 tinct or entire are, transverse cost usually alone distinct ; 

 spiracles oblong or circular. Abdomen elongate, depressed or 

 slightly convex, often rugulose, tuberculate or with impressed 

 lines, sessile ; first segment either convex, short and tumidulous 

 or long and subpetiolate basally, its spiracles before the centre ; 

 terebra always exserted, sometimes more than twice the length of 

 the body. Legs normal or somewhat short ; claws frequently 

 pectinate and in the females not rarely basally lobate. Wings 

 with areolet wanting or broadly triangular, very rarely sub- 

 pentagonal. 



Subfamily TBYPHOXINJE. 



Head transverse, tumidulous or subglobose ; eyes entire, very 

 rarely emarginate next the scrobes ; face sometimes strongly pro- 

 tuberant ; clypeus generally discrete ; mandibles a little narrowed 

 apicnlly, the teeth not always of equal length. Antenna filiform 



