TRYPHONINJE. 261 



Subfamily TRYPHONIN^E. 



The peculiar scarcity of the TBYPHONINJE in India is very 

 remarkable and is but partially accounted for by the restriction of 

 sawflies to the hill districts. That the latter are probably entirelv 

 confined to the mountains I am assured by Mr. Rowland Turner, 

 who found them very commonly on the top of the Khasi Hills, 

 about Shillong, at an altitude of 6000 feet, and has presented his 

 collection thence to the British Museum ; while the Eev. P. D. 

 Morice informs me that they are generally scarce throughout all 

 tropical countries. Eespectiug those of India but little is tit 

 present known, though Cameron has described a few and Konow 

 brought forward others from Sikkim (Zeits. Hym.-Dip. 1908, 

 p. 19 et Entomologist, 1907, p. 3 ; &c.). The former is undoubtedly 

 correct when he says (Manch. Mem. 1900, p. 104) that " the 

 TEVPHOXIDES are very numerous in the northern parts of the 

 Palaearctic and probably also of the Nearctic zoological regions, 

 but are little known outside them. A large number are known to 

 be parasites on TENTHBEDINID^ " ; the only unfortunate circum- 

 stance, in this case, is that the species he ascribes to the present 

 subfamily proved upon my examination of the types to be referable 

 to the PIMPLIN^E. Nevertheless, scarcity of sawflies only accounts 

 for a corresponding diminution in the numbers of the TRYPHONIDES, 

 since the remaining tribes prey upon Lepidoptera, Diptera, &c., 

 of which there is no lack. 



Dalla Torre's Catalogue of 1901 enumerates but six Indian 

 species of this subfamily, all described as new by Cameron during 

 the years 1897-1900 ; and the latter subsequently brought forward 

 some twenty-five more, mainly well-known European forms under 

 new names, which I have had the opportunity of examining in 

 Col. Nurse's collection. Of these thirty-one, I believe twenty- 

 seven to be good species, I have recognised fourteen as described 

 by Continental authors, and I have discovered eighteen, which do 

 not appear to have hitherto been noticed, giving a total of sixty 

 kinds, which would appear very meagre when compared with the 

 four hundred species found in the British Isles. 



The TEYPHONIN^ are for the most part very easily recognised 

 by their sessile abdomen, concealed terebra and deplanate body. 

 The typical tribe of the TRYPHCXNTDES, however, is liable to con- 

 fusion with those CBYPTIXJE which have the outer nervure of the 

 areolet wanting, and the males are at present very indifferently 

 separated from those of the LISSOXOTIDES (PIMPLIK^E), since no 

 good characters of discrimination have yet been enunciated. The 

 remaining tribes, nevertheless, are abundantly distinct from all 

 other ICHNEUMONID^E : the METOPIIDES by their square scutellum 

 and scutiform face, the SPHINCTIDES in the conformation of their 

 areolet and abdomen, and the BASSIDES in their tridentate 

 mandibles. 



