Australian Species of Poecilocryptus Cameron 
( I chneumonidae : Hy menopter a ) i 
Arthur W. Parrott 
Cameron established a new genus for a 
species of Australian I chneumonidae, Poed- 
locryptus nigromaculata, in 1901. He gave a 
good description of the type and a clear gen- 
eric diagnosis. The locality, however, is given 
vaguely as "Australia.” Turner and Waterston 
(1920) described another species, from Tas- 
mania, under the name P. nigripectus, and also 
recorded and figured Cameron’s species from 
Tasmania. 
Morley, in 1914, proposed a new name for 
Cameron’s genus, because Kriechbaumer in 
the same year used Poecilocryptus for an entirely 
different insect from South America. Cush- 
man (1936) has shown that Motley’s action 
was not correct as Cameron’s name was pub- 
lished in June, whereas Kriechbaumer’s name 
was published later in the same year. Cush- 
man further points out (1936: 465) that, in 
proposing Poecilopimpla for the supposedly 
preoccupied Poecilocryptus Cameron, Morley 
overlooked the fact that Cameron (1903: 140) 
had already used that name. Cushman has 
further pointed out that it is not necessary 
to rename Poecilocryptus Kriechbaumer, as the 
same genus was redescribed by Viereck under 
the name Photocryptus . 
The systematic position of Poecilocryptus is 
not clear: it shows definite affinities to the 
pimplinids but also is somewhat allied to the 
^ Manuscript received February 25, 1953. 
cryptinids. Morley (1914: 35), who examined 
the type, states, "If not truly pimplid, at least 
very far removed from any known form of 
cryptid.” Cameron (1901: 527) connected it 
with Phygadeuonini, though he remarks, "It 
has no relationship with any other genus.” 
Turner and Waterston (1920: 24) state, "Cam- 
eron was probably correct in connecting the 
genus with the Phygadeuonini.” Cushman 
(1936: 465) considered this genus to belong 
to the Cryptinae. 
Genus Poecilocryptus Cameron 
Poecilocryptus Cameron, Ann. and Mag. Nat. 
Hist. 7(7): 527, 1901. (Nec Kriechbaumer, 
1901.) 
Poecilopimpla Morley, Rev. Ichneum. Brit. 
Mus., Pt. 3: 35, 1914. (Nec Cameron, 1903.) 
Poecilocryptus Turner and Waterston, Zool. 
Soc. London, Proc. 1920: 24, figs. 8a, lib. 
Poecilocryptus Cushman, Wash. Acad. Sci., 
Jour. 26(11): 465, 1936. 
Type species: P. nigromaculatus Cameron. 
Morley (1914: 37) described P. inflexa from 
"Eastern Australia” which, judging from his 
description, is not correctly placed in this 
genus. Until the type is examined, the true 
position of P. inflexa will remain doubtful. 
Morley himself remarks that it probably mer- 
its generic rank, because of its vertically much 
narrower head, basally not discrete and api- 
cally truncate clypeus, prominent mandibles. 
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