6o6 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



VESPOIDEA. 



By Sievert Allen Rohwer.* 



The superfamily Vespoidea is composed of a number of 

 distinct types of predaceous and solitary wasps. There is so 

 much variation in the structure and in the habits of the species 

 that it is very likely that, when a complete and entirely satis- 

 factory classification of these insects has been made, the pres- 

 ent superfamily Vespoidea will be divided into a number of 

 superfamilies. In fact this has already been suggested by Mr. 

 Banks when he proposed the superfamily Scolioidea. 



The group of Diploptera, including the families Eumenidae 

 and Vespidse of the present paper, is composed of closely 

 related, easily recognized forms. The habits of the more 

 specialized members of this group resemble those of the bees, 

 and in this group we have three well defined forms or sexes, that 

 is the males, females and workers. 



It is difficult to say whether this superfamily, as a whole, is 

 beneficial or injurious; as some of the large groups such as the 

 Mutillidae and Sapygidae are parasitic within the nests of bees and 

 would have to be considered as injurious; while such groups as 

 the Bethylidse, Dryinidae, Scoliidae and Psammocharidae are all 

 beneficial insects, as they are either parasitic on Homoptera or 

 white grubs, or provision their nests with spiders. The Diplop- 

 terous insects are, in the main, beneficial as they destroy very 

 many Lepidopterous larvae, although specimens are often found 

 flying around fruit and are often very annoying. 



The following table of the families will serve to distinguish 

 all the North American insects belonging to these families but 

 will not apply in one or two cases to certain exotic genera or 

 species. 



Key to Families. 

 I. Posterior angle of pronotum sharp and above tegula; wings 



folded longitudinally in repose 2 



The families Bethylidse and Dryinidae are by Charles T. Brues, as indicated at the 

 beginning of each of these families. The Ceropalinae and Eumenidas are by Henry L. 

 Viereck. 



