A NEW FAMILY OF WASPS 1 
By Howard E. Evans 
Museum of Comparative Zoology 
The classification of the aculeate Hymenoptera is considerably com- 
plicated by the existence of a number of small families of doubtful 
relationships, families such as the Plumariidae, Rhopalosomatidae, 
Sierolomorphidae, Sclerogibbidae, and Loboscelidiidae. To add still 
another family to this list is a dubious distinction, and to base such a 
family on twelve specimens may be considered a dubious procedure. 
Nevertheless these twelve specimens present such an unusual array of 
structural features that they can scarcely be ignored. Although some 
of these features are clearly specializations, others are so very gen- 
eralized, for Aculeata, that there can be little question that this family 
is a relict of a very ancient stock of wasps. These wasps have the 
habitus of certain Scolioidea, and probably the family should be 
placed in that superfamily. However, because of the 13-segmented 
antennae in the female and the lack of closed cells in the hind wings, 
the family will fall in the Bethyloidea in most classifications. The 
name of the type genus, Scolebythus, is meant to imply a sharing of 
certain characteristics of both these superfamilies of primitive Aculeata 
(scol being a prefix derived from Scolia , lebythus an anagram of 
Bethylus). Further discussion of the relationships of the family is 
deferred until after the descriptive material. In the description of the 
family, I have numbered the more significant characters so that these 
can be referred to more readily later on. 
Scolebythidae, new family 
Small wasps (known species 7-10 mm. long), fully winged, with- 
out strong sculpturing, known from the female sex only. Head 
vertical, hypognathous ( 1 ) ; head broad below, rather thick, the 
temples strongly developed. Hypostomal carinae well separated from 
mouthparts, forming a very broad V, the arms of which reach the 
ventral condyle of the mandibles (2). Labial palpi short, but with 
four segments (3). Maxillary palpi with six segments, the segments 
slightly flattened and bearing some strong setae. Mandibles unusually 
short and broad, measuring from 1.5 to 2 X as long as broad at the 
base, the apex with four strong teeth in an oblique series (4). Clypeus 
Published with the aid of a grant from the Museum of Comparative 
Zoology. 
Manuscript received by the editor June 11, 1962. 
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