ASHMEAD : CLASSIFICATION OF THE CHALCID FLIES 229 



prominent, acute, cultriform or lanceolate ; ovipositor long, prominently exserted ; (^ always 

 apterous, tlie head anteriorly with a deep triangular fovea, in which are i^laced the short 3-9-jointed 

 antennae ; the abdomen in the (^ is broadly sessile, long and tubular, thickened at base, or 



broadened apically with a tubercle or filament at each apical angle Family LX. Agaonid^. 



Head rarely oblong and quite differently formed, never with a deep broad longitudinal furrow above, 

 most frequently transverse, or subquadrate, the occipital margin never with a small recurved spine ; 

 mandibles and palpi without saw-like appendages ; middle legs not especially slender, the anterior 

 and posterior legs are often stout, but their tibife are always longer, at least never shorter than 

 their femora ; hypopygium rarely very prominent ; J* most frequently winged, rarely apterous ; in 

 the latter case the abdomen is normal, not long and tubular. 



Mesopleura large, entire, without a femoral furrow, except occasionally in some males, the 

 mesepisternutn large, triangular, not extending to base of front coxae ; middle tibial spur 



saltatorial, most frequently long and stout, or dilated at base 8 



Mesopleura always with a femoral furrow or impression, the mesepisternum variable, rarely 

 large, except in the Cleonymidx, most frequently small, wedge-shaped, or linear and extend- 

 ing to base of front coxae ; if large and triangular, either the anterior or the posterior femora 

 are much swollen ; middle tibial spur not saltatorial, usually short or weak, never very stout. 

 Hind tibiae with 2 apical spurs, rarely with 1 only ; in the latter case the radius termi- 

 nates in a large, rounded stigma, the ovipositor very long 4 



Hind tibiae with 1 apical spur ; ovipositor rarely long ; if long the stigma is small. .... 9 



4. Mandibles falcate, usually with I or 2 teeth within ; thorax most frequently very gibbous, the 



scutellum usually very large, often abnormally developed, elevated and produced posteriorly, the 



axillae connate, not distinctly separated from the surrounding surface and broadly united along 



their inner margins 6 



Mandibles usually 3-4-dentate at apex, rarely falcate, with 1 or 2 teeth within ; thorax not, or very 

 slightly, gibbous, the axillae distinctly separate, their inner margins most frequently widely 

 separated, very rarely touching. 



Hind coxae rarely much larger than the anterior coxae, most frequently smaller or equal ; if 

 much larger, the pronotum is elongate, mesepisternum large, the hind legs very long, the 



postmargiual vein very long ; ovipositor very rarely prominent 5 



Hind coxae very large and long, usually five or six times larger than the anterior coxae. 



Hind coxae subtriquetrous, or at least compressed into a sharp ridge above ; hind femora 

 rarely very much swollen, and most frequently simple, rarely with one large tooth or den- 

 ticulate beneath ; hind tibia usually straight ; abdomen most frequently subcompressed 

 (more rarely depressed), with a long ovipositor ; if without an exserted ovipositor, the 

 abdomen is conical or conic-ovate with a peculiar sculpture, the radius (stigmal vein) 



usually very short, the hind tibiae at apex normal Family LXI. Torymid^e. 



Hind coxae usually very long and subcylindrical ; hind femora always much swollen and 

 most frequently armed with teeth beneath or finely serrated, i-arely without teeth ; 

 hind tibiae strongly curved and obliquely truncately produced at apex, so that the tarsi 

 seem to be attached a little before tips ; abdomen of various shapes, most frequently 

 conical or conic-ovate, more rarely globose, or oblong-oval, the ovipositor very rarely 



prominent ; radius variable, rarely very short Family LXII. Chalcidid^. 



5. Pronotum rarely transverse quadrate, conical or conically produced anteriorly, or very short, trans- 

 verse linear, and very much narrowed medially, rarely as wide as the mesonotum 7 



