1963] 
Evans — Wasps 
15 
with certain of the primitive Scolioidae such as the Anthoboscinae and 
Sapygidae: 1, 5, 6, 16, 20, 23, 25. Because of the preponderance of 
scolioid and primitive aculeate characters, I feel that this family 
unquestionably belongs in the Scolioidea. However, in artificial keys 
stressing wing venation and antennal segmentation, it may be desirable 
to key the family out with the Bethylidae. 
Are the scolebythids female plumariids f Within the Scolioidea, the 
Scolebythidae appear to represent an isolated group; no less than 10 
of the 25 characters considered are discussed above as in some measure 
“unique and apparently primitive” or “unique and apparently special- 
ized”. Yet several of these unusual features are shared, at least to 
some extent, with the Plumariidae. Since the Plumariidae are known 
from males only, and from South America and South Africa only, it 
is necessary to ask if the scolebythids may be female plumariids. I 
concede this possibility, but I think it unlikely for the following 
reasons. ( 1 ) The plumariids have closed cells in the hind wing, and 
the venation of the fore wing bears little resemblance to that of the 
scolebythids. (2) The prosternum of the plumariids is small and 
sunken. (3) The middle coxae of the plumariids are subcontiguous, 
and the legs very much longer than in the scolebythids. (4) There is 
little resemblance in the general configuration of the head and thorax, 
except in the several characters cited in the preceding paragraph. (5) 
Plumarius occurs chiefly in arid regions of Chile, Argentina, and Peru, 
and is surely not common, if it occurs at all, in Brazil. I am not aware 
that Myrmecopterina, the South African and only other known genus, 
has been found in Madagascar. 
It may be argued that in several groups of Tiphiidae (most particu- 
larly the Methochinae and Brachycistidinae) the sexual dimorphism 
is nearly as great. It is greater, in fact, with respect to the wings, 
which are absent in the females of these tiphiids; in the scolebythids 
the wings of the female may merely have undergone much reduction 
in venation without much loss of size. The various apparent specializa- 
tions of these wasps for attacking wood-borers might, of course, have 
evolved in the female sex only, just as only the female Brachycistidinae 
have become modified for living underground. However, at this stage 
of our knowledge it seems to me wiser to consider the scolebythids a 
distinct family than to place Clystopsenella in the synonymy of 
Plumarius and to consider the Madagascar specimen a female Myrme- 
copterina, an assignment that may prove to be very wide of the mark. 
The erection of a new family may serve as a challenge to workers to 
seek more data on these insects. 
