io G. E. J. NIXON 



following chelonine features : — a long, bent scape ; the flagellum, at least in the 

 female, thickened in the middle ; the hind femur swollen and with a somewhat 

 abrupt basal constriction. 



In the few Adelius-Paradelius species referred to above, the venation has remained 

 remarkably constant, except that in the species showing the highly modified, 

 Triaspidini-like gaster, the metacarp is absent. 



MYRIOLA Shestakov 



Shestakov, 1932, Zool. Anz,, 99 : 259. 



Synonymised under Adelius Haliday by Muesebeck and Walkley (1951). 



DIRRHOPE Forster 



Muesebeck (1935) considers this genus to be correctly placed in the Micro- 

 gasterinae though he does not state how it stands in relation to the other genera. 



I have discovered amongst the British Museum accessions three specimens from 

 S. Africa that agree well with Muesebeck's generic description and also his figure of 

 Dirrhope americana Mues. Frankly, I am unable to express a definite opinion about 

 the position of this genus in its relationship with the other microgasterine genera and 

 do no more than point to some of its more salient features in the key that follows 

 later. 



PAROLIGONEURUS Muesebeck 



Muesebeck (1951) includes this genus in the Microgasterinae and in so doing 

 confirms the opinion he expressed when he described it in 1931. 



It seems to me that Paroligoneurus, like Mirax, covers at present a closely knit 

 group of species, among which generic splits may later be found to be feasible. I 

 have examined some half dozen species from S. Africa, Brazil and Queensland and 

 found a remarkable uniformity of structure. The venation conforms closely to that 

 shown in Text-fig. 3 ; a curious and characteristic feature of it is the costad bend 

 in the basal vein just before its junction with the prostigma. 



OLIGONEURUS Szepligeti 

 Szepligeti, 1902, Termeszetr. Fuz. 25 : 77. 



This genus is based on a Brazilian species and little can be said about it until the 

 type is examined. Muesebeck (1922) included it in the Microgasterinae, giving a 

 translation of the original description. It seems reasonable to conclude that the 

 genus is related to Paroligoneurus, differing from it in having hairy eyes (teste 

 Muesebeck). 



THE LIMITS OF THE SUBFAMILY MICROGASTERINAE 



The observations and opinions expressed above concerning the genera traditionally 

 accepted as belonging to the Microgasterinae reflect in some measure my own views 

 on how the subfamily should be composed. 



