1929 ] New Thynnid Wasp from New Caledonia 241 
hind edge about one-third of their length, on 5 to nearly 
half, i. e., relatively longer. 
(7) Apical joints of maxillary palpi are in my opinion 
elongate, the last obviously a little more slender than the 
penultimate. 
Dr. Waterston thinks Turner’s species is probably cor- 
rectly placed in Eirone, but the abdomen is a little unusual. 
The characters of the mandibles, clypeus and palpi may 
perhaps be considered to indicate at least a distined sub- 
genus. My species is allied to Turner’s, but evidently 
distinct. 
In 1922 Montet described a Spilothynnus thalluse, said to 
occur in New Caledonia. Miss Sandhouse has kindly copied 
the description for me, and I find that the species was based 
on two females, 8.5 mm. long, one said to be from Australia, 
the other from New Caledonia. There is apparently no 
history with either, and Montet remarks that there may be 
an error in the indication of localities. The Australian 
specimen, of which details are figured, is herewith design- 
ated as the type. Spilothynnus is a South American genus 
with spotted abdomen. 
If we disregard Montet’s species as too uncertain, it still 
remains true that New Caledonia has two species of Thyn- 
nidse which are endemic, and abundantly distinct from any- 
thing known in Australia. There is also a Mutillid (Mutilla 
caledonica Andre), found at Noumea in New Caledonia. 
These Hymenoptera, having wingless females, are doubt- 
less relics of ancient continental connections, probably 
north-westward. There are Thynnidse in New Britain, the 
Solomon Is. (Thynnus barbarus Turner), New Guinea, the 
Aru Is., Ceram, Celebes, and north to the Philippine Is. 
(Thynnus luzonicus Turner; T. bakeri Rohwer). There is a 
species (Rhagigaster novarse Sauss.) said to come from 
New Zealand, but Tillyard in his recent work credits none 
to that country. Eirone has 33 known species, in addition 
to the two from New Caledonia. With the exception of the 
latter, it is strictly an Australian genus. 
