FAMII.ira OF I'ARAHITICA. 28 



2.— Anterior wings wit!) ft distinct and complete costal nervure and a niorc or 

 less di'Vt'loped stiKnia; alxlonicn very rarely ovate or compn-sseil ovate, 



Keni-rsilly nuich longer than thonix 3. 



Anterior wiiiKS without a complete costal nervure and stigma, except in 

 Ihnlia which, however, has the idxlonien knife-shaped ; al>donien generally 

 ovate or compres.sed-ovate, nireiy cultriforni ; ovijKjsitor sul>si)inir, very 



rarely apterous ; chiefly gall-feeding insects CYNIPID^. 



3. — Abdomen inse-ted upon the dorsum or near base of inetathorax EVANIID^. 



Abdomen attached to the extremity of the metathonix 4. 



4. — Anterior wings with two recurrent nervures, very rarely with but one, ax in 

 Pharsalia in Ichneumonidie, which, however, has the abdomen long and 



sickie-shajied ."). 



Anterior wings with but one recurrent nervure, very rarely without, as in a 



few genera of Aphidiina' in Briiconida' (5. 



,5.— Costal and sulwostal nervures stjparate an<l distinct, the costal cell therefore 

 present; fli"st submarginal and first discoidal cells separate and distinct; 



three completely enclosed submarginal cells TBIGONALID^. 



t'ostal and subcostal nervures confluent, the costal cell therefore absent : fli-st 

 submarginal and first discoidal cells always conttueut ; never more than 

 two completely enclosed submarginal cells; rarely apterous. 



ICHNEUMONID^. 



6.— Costal and subcostal nervures separate and distinct, the costal cell therefore 



present ; hea<l globose, vertex tuberculate and rugose ; abdomen elongate, 



slender, much longer than head and thorax: ovipositor longer than the 



body; posterior femora swollen and toothed beneath STEPHANID^. 



Costal and subcostal nervures confluent, the costal cell therefore absent ; first 

 submarginal and first discoidal cells sometimes confluent ; posterior femora 



rarely toothed beneath ; rarely apterous BRACONIDiE. 



7.— Posterior margin of prothorax not reaching the tegulse; antenna- always 

 elbowed and nearly always with one or two, very rarely three ring-joints 

 between pedicel and funicle ; ovipositor is^n ing before apex of abdonien ; 



rarely apterous CHALCIDID^. 



Posterior margin of prothorax reaching the tegulse ; antennse elbowed or not 

 elbowed, usually without ring-joints between pedicel and funicle, seldom 

 with one small ring-joint, in which case the antennte are not elbowed ; 

 ovipositor issuing from apex of abdomen ; rarely apterous. 



PROCTOTRUPID^. 



The anomalous family Pelecinidje, contaiuing the very curious 

 irciius Pelecinm, which is doubtless also para.sitic in its hahits, may 

 l>f, for the present, included in this series, although the trochanters 

 liiive apparently but one joint ; its characters are given at length 

 further on. 



without dosed middle cells, but then the stigma and costal nervure are wanting, 

 the antenna) are not elbowed and the ovipositor issues before the apex of the 

 iilxlomen. 



