29 



The remarkable Dryinid, Harpagocryptus, a parasite of small 

 crickets, is a most anomalous insect. It is clearly allied to tlie 

 Central- American Olixon of Cameron, referred by him to the 

 Braconidae, but rightly removed by Ashmead to the Bethylid 

 group. 



PALAEORHIZIDAE ( ? Meroglossidae). 



Palaeorhiza gen. nov. 

 General appearance much like that of some brightly metallic 

 Australian Prosopis, members of which genus (s. 1.) it also consider- 

 ably resembles in many points of structure. In the several species 

 known to me the scape of the antennae in the male is cylindrical and 

 not at all dilated. Labrum simple, transverse, cilated at apex; man- 

 dibles with two grooves, bidentate in the male, the inner tooth more or 

 less obscure; tridentate at apex in the female. Ligula lanceolate, 

 acuminate; labial palpi four-jointed, formed like the maxillary palpi, 

 but the joints all shorter, subequal; maxillary palpi six-jointed, mod- 

 erately long, the joints not differing much in length, the four apical 

 ones more slender than the preceding and themselves slightly decreas- 

 ing in length to the apex, their form elongate and subclavate. Anterior 

 area of propodeum smooth, moderately large, more or less triangular 

 in shape, well marked off by the totally different sculpture of adjoining 

 parts, but not enclosed. Wings with the stigma as well developed as 

 in Prosopis; two cubital cells, the first much longer than the second, 

 the latter receiving both recurrent nervures. neither being interstitial; 

 transverse median and basal nervures interstitial or almost so. Anter- 

 ior tarsi of female with the arrangement of peculiar curved hairs for 

 sweeping pollen towards the mouth, as in the industrial Prosopis, or 

 more strongly developed than in some species of that genus. Male 

 often with the two or three terminal exposed ventral segments with 

 dense clothing of hair; seventh ventral segment produced on each side 

 into delicate lateral processes, affording good specific characters; 

 eigth ventral segment simply produced in the middle in the species 

 examined by me. Genital armature like that of many Prosopis. the 

 stipites simple, without lacinia, pilose, the sagittae extending slightly 

 or considerably behind these, curved downwards towards the apex and 

 sometimes apicaJly compressed; the armature evidently affording good 

 specific characters. 



Type of the genus Prosopis perviridis Cock. 



In the event of the genus Meroglossa proving to be allied 

 to Palaeorhiza the family would naturally be called Meroglos- 

 sidae. 



PEOSOPIDAE. 



Pacliy prosopis gen. nov. 



Head quadrate, of enormous size, fully as large as or larger in 

 dorsal aspect than the mesonotum, ocelli in a triangle with very wide 

 base, the hinder ones closer to one another than to the distant occipital 

 margin. Eyes reaching base of mandibles, clypeus very short and trans. 



