A SYNOPSIS OF THE CHRYSIDID GENERA 
OF NEOTROPICAL AMERICA 
(CHRYSIDOIDEA, HYMENOPTERA)* 
By Lynn S. Kimsey and Richard M. Bohart 
Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis 95616 
The chrysidid fauna of Central and South America, including 
Mexico, differs considerably from that of North America. There are 
only a few species whose range extends into both regions. The genera 
Cleptes, Mesitiopterus, Microsega, Muesebeckidium, Pseudolopy- 
ga, Minymischa, Xerochrum, Microchridium, Hedychreides, Chry- 
sura, and Chrysurissa are not reported from South or Central 
America. A number of genera are not found north of Costa Rica, 
including Duckeia, Nesogyne and Gaullea. Trichrysis and Neo- 
chrysis have undergone extensive species radiation in the neotropics. 
The few species in these two genera occurring in North America are 
their northernmost representatives. 
The faunas of Baja California, north central and northwestern 
Mexico seem to be essentially temperate in origin. The genera 
Parnopes, Spintharosoma and Ceratochrysis belong to this temper¬ 
ate fauna and are considered in this survey because they are found in 
Mexico. Several of the genera found only in the southwestern United 
States may be present in Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua, 
Mexico, so specimens from this region should probably be run 
through the key to the North American genera (Bohart and Kimsey, 
1980). The chrysidid fauna of the Caribbean islands, excluding 
Trinidad and Tobago, appears to be primarily temperate in origin, 
with only one endemic genus, Nesogyne. 
The principal work on neotropical Chrysididae has been done by 
Juan Brethes, August Brulle, Robert du Buysson, Peter Cameron, 
Alphonse Ducke, Felix Guerin-Meneville, Karl Krombein, Alexan¬ 
dra Mocsary and Maximilien Spinola. Lesser work has been done by 
R. Benoist, H. Bischoff, R. M. Bohart, E. T. Cresson, A. da Costa 
Lima, Andrea Dahlbom, Vicente Perez-D’Angello, Johann Fabri- 
cius, Claude Joseph (H. Janvier), L. S. Kimsey, Walter Linsenmaier 
and Flaminio Ruiz. 
* Manuscript received by the editor August 26, 1980. 
75 
