23 
material submitted by Mr. Gillette, and the Cornell University material, 
I find 26 good species represented, covering localities practically embrac- 
ing all temperate America. Of these 8 have been reared from or asso- 
ciated with galls, and two galls are described from which adults have not 
yet been obtained. The genus is a very difficult one, and the species are, 
on account of their small size and general similarity, difficult of separa- 
tion. They are closely related to the following genus (Pteronus), and the 
males in particular are, in some instances, distinguished with difficulty 
from Pteronus. With the females the shape of the sheath furnishes 
an excellent character for the division of the genus into four groups, 
and structural characters are available for the ready separation of most 
of the species. The males, however, are separated with greater diffi- 
culty, and frequently where in the other sex two species are most 
divergent the males are indistinguishable except in comparatively 
trifling colorational details. Dissection of the sexual organs would prob- 
ably yield good characters, but this is impossible without destroying 
the specimens, and would not be practicable for the ordinary student. 
With the males, therefore, separation of the species is based largely on 
colorational features. In most cases where males have been associated 
with females, breeding records are the authority for such references. 
In general, the males agree with the females in possessing the short, 
slender, filiform antennae characteristic of the genus. Two species only, 
so far as known to me, have very elongate antenme, and the rather 
robust, flattened antennae characteristic of the males of some of the 
allied genera are very rare in Pontania. 
In recharacterizing the old species, I have had the specimens them- 
selves before me and have not used the original descriptions at all. 
Therefore, and particularly in the case of Walsh's species, which were 
characterized from fresh or living specimens, some divergences in the 
matter of coloring will be noted by comparison. In general, it may be 
said that what in the living or fresh specimens is hyaline or greenish 
white becomes yellow or even ferruginous with drying and age. It 
seems to me desirable to use the comparatively permanent color 
characters presented by the dry specimens rather than the transitory 
coloring of the newly emerged insect. 
A number of parasites and inquilinous insects of other orders have 
been reared from the galls, but it is not definitely ascertained in every 
case whether the hosts of the former are the gall makers or the inquili- 
nous insects. Mr. Walsh reared a little curculionid, Anthonomus syco- 
phanta Walsh, from the galls of pomum, desmodioides, and Euura nodus 
Walsh. A small tineid, Batrachedra s. pomonella Clein., was reared 
by Walsh from the galls of pomum, desmodioides, and a cecidomyiid 
gall, G. s. rhodoides. The Department rearings from galls include a 
dipterous insect, undetermined, and two chalcidids, one a species of 
Sympiesis and the other Eurytoma studiosa Say, both probably para- 
sitic on Anthonomus sycophanta, which was reared from the same galls. 
