SYMENOPTEROUS FAMILY STEPHANID^. 711 



Schultz (Spolia Hymenop. 1906, p. 273) writes: "I cannot 

 accept Foenatopus Sm. or any of the 'newly-erected genera of 

 Stephanus Jur., as they are purely artificial, and useful at most 

 for distinguishing groups of species in this rich genus." Are not 

 most of our genera artificial, and is not their object exactly that 

 stated above ? Cameron, again, in Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg. Ivi. 1912, 

 p. 358, makes the curious statement : " There are three longitudinal 

 nervures, which is one of the points separating Stephanus from 

 Parastephanus.''^ There are always three such nervures, the 

 difierence being in the development. 



When the neuration is complete, as in Stephanus, s. str., there 

 are three basal cells : costal, which is very narrow and often in- 

 distinct, median and inner submedian ; an outer series of three : 

 cubital, discoidal, and external submedia.n ; and a long, some- 

 what nai'row radial cell. The type of this subgenus is Stephamts 

 serratoi' Fab. 



In the second form the neuration is similar to that of the 

 second, but the discoidal. cell is only about one-fourth of the size 

 of the cubital, and is petiolate, not touching the inner submedian. 

 They are Indo-Australian. Type : Parastephanellus pygmce.us 

 Enderl. 



In the third form the submedian or posterior nervure is 

 abbreviated, not extending beyond the apes of the inner sub- 

 median cell ; the external submedian cell is thus open behind. 

 The discoidal cell is about the same size as the cubital, and 

 touches the inner submedian cell on a longer or shorter base. 

 This subgenus, Hemistephanus Enderl., is exclusively Neotropical. 

 The type is H. macrunis Schlett. 



In these three subgenera the stigma is opaque and the 

 bounding nervures iiidistinct. In the three following subgenera 

 the stigma is smaller, translucent, the bounding nervures distinct, 

 the cubital and discoidal cells wanting. 



In the fourth form, Neostephanus Kiefi^., there are three com- 

 plete basal cells ; the median nervure extends to the full length of 

 the outer submedian cell and the second transverse nervure is 

 present, the outer submedian cell being thus bounded on three 

 sides. Type : Neost. alluaudi Kiefi". 



Form five, Fcenatopus Smith, difiers in having only a short 

 prolongation of the median nervure beyond the basal cells, with- 

 out any indication of the second transverse nervure. Type : 

 F. indicus Westw. 



Form six, Diastephanus Enderl., has the neuration still further 

 reduced, no nervure extending beyond the basal cells. Type : 

 D. flavomaculati(jS Enderl. 



In these three forms the radius does not extend to the margin 

 of the forewing, the radial cell being apieally incomplete. 



The colour in the majority of species is mainly black, frequently 

 inclining to brownish; the head is often ferruginous or red, 

 antennte and mandibles basally and the legs more or less red. 



