FAMILY CYNIPIM. 143 



are two- to three-, the maxillary four- to five- jointed. 

 They do not afford material for taxonomic purposes. 



The Antennas. These are never elbowed, nor more 

 than fifteen- jointed. In the ? they are from twel ve- 

 to fourteen-jointed, and in some species the males have 

 fifteen joints. As a rule the <$ has one, and in some 

 cases two joints more than the female. In the ? the 

 antennae are much stouter than in the ; the joints 

 are thicker, more globose or moniliform, and may be 

 much thickened and enlarged towards the apex. In 

 many Eucoilina, for example, the apical two to eight 

 are much thicker than those which precede them, from 

 which they are more or less clearly defined by their 

 being enlarged. It is seldom that they are pilose in 

 the ? , but the joints may be longitudinally ribbed. 



In the <J the antennas are more slender than in the 

 ? , and are much longer, in some species (e. g. 

 Psicharca longicorms) being more than twice the 

 length of the body. The third or fourth joints or 

 both may be incised laterally, as well as thickened, or 

 may be, as in some Synergi, greatly enlarged and 

 thickened (see PL IV, fig. 22). 



The wings are seldom much longer than the body, 

 and may be much shorter, or altogether absent. 

 The margin is frequently deeply fringed with long hair, 

 and as often as not the surface is hairy. In one 

 genus (Keiditoma) the apex of the fore-wings is more 

 or less incised. There are but few nervures or cel- 

 lules, and there is never a stigma. 



The most important nervures are the subcostal, the 

 basal, the radial, and the cubital. The subcostal (a) is 

 never absent. Commencing at the end of the wing, it 

 runs parallel with the costa to near the middle, then 

 turns sharply upwards and unites with it. It may ter- 

 minate there, or may proceed along the costa to the apex 

 of the radial cellule. If it terminates at the point where 

 it becomes joined with the costa and goes no farther, 

 the radial cellule is called open, or open at the fore 

 margin (PL IV, fig. 20). The subcostal nervure may 



