1929] 
A New Pseudomasaris from California 
87 
a recurrent vein, while the hind wings have a distinct or 
large posterior lobe and at least a trace of a discoidal vein ; 
in addition their trophi are not modified into a proboscis. 
I am therefore unable to regard the Masaridinae as a 
primitive or ancestral group. Nevertheless, they undoubt- 
edly constitute an archaic unit, not derived from the im- 
mediate ancestors of the other subfamilies of Diploptera nor 
ancestral to them, but forming a very ancient, autochtho- 
nous line of descent. I am inclined to the view that at least 
five distinct, or independent, lines of descent may be rec- 
ognized among the living Vespidae, as follows : 
(1) Subfamily Gayellinae (Ga^yella and Paramasaris ) . 
(2) Subfamily Euparagiinae (Euparagia). 
(3) Subfamily Masaridinse. 
(4) Subfamily Vespinse (Vespa and Provespa ) . 
(5) The remainder of the Vespidse, comprising the 
subfamilies Polistinse, Ropalidiinse, Polybiinse, Raphiglos- 
sinse, Zethinse, Eumeninse and Stenogastrinse. 
As in many other ancient groups, that have persisted 
through long geological periods and have thus had time to 
mature, the Masaridinse often exhibit extraordinary struc- 
tural characters. They are the delight of the taxonomist and, 
in this respect, contrast sharply with the other Diploptera, 
the morphology of which is only too often of a despairing 
monotony. Most of the peculiar structures of the masarids 
are exaggerated secondary sexual characters of the males, 
the usefulness of which to the species is extremely doubtful 
or at least not apparent. These characters affect the shape 
of the antennae, legs and abdominal segments. Sexual di- 
morphism is often so pronounced that the specific or even 
the generic connection between the two sexes is quite a 
problem. 
One of the most convincing arguments in favor of the 
great antiquity of the Masaridinae as a distinct sub- 
family, is their present-day discontinuous distribution, as I 
have sufficiently indicated above. One remarkable feature 
still should be mentioned, namely the absence of any close 
