Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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Article beginning on page 43.
Psyche 10:43-46, 1903.

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REVIEWS.
A Nature Wooing at Ormmd by the Sea.
By W. S. Blatchley, State
GeoIogist 01 Indiana.
245 pp., 12 pl., 62 cuts, map. Indianapolis, Nature Pub. Co. Entomologists contemplating a winter trip south sho~~ld not fail to read this . graphic account of collecting experiences, conditions, and the results obtained during March and early April in the vicinity of Ormond, Fla. In addition to the many interesting biological notes incorporated in the text. there are appended lists of the Odonata (18 species), Orthoptera (30 species), Heleroptera (20 species}, b~itterflies (27 species), and Coleoptera (55 species), secured. ln this appendix the author has unfortunateIy published the description of a new species (Eritetlix syZz)est~is-Acridiiclae), a practice which cannot be abandoned too soon. The proper place for such puhlication is in the columns of the regular scientiGc journals or other works of recognized technical character. In addition to the entomological notes the volume contains an account of the Ormond shell mound and sufficient information of general interest to entitle it to a place in the luggage of every tourist. A. l?. MORSE. Monographic des Cynipides d' Europe et dtAlg6rie. Par I'Abbd J. J- Kieffer. Tome Premsr. A. Herrnann, 6 et 12) rue de la Sorbonne, Paris, France.
This important work, representing volume 7 of Andrb's Species des Hyrngn- optGres d'Europe et d3A1gdrie, has just been received. Unfortunately, not many Americans are yet familiar with this great work of Anddl which was begun some years ago by Mons. Hmond Andrd, and since his death, is being completed by his brother) Mons. Ernest Anclrd, a noted hymenop- terologist, who has engaged some of the best European specialists to help him out in certain fa~niiies: Rev. T. A. Marshall in the Braconidae) Robert du Buysson in the Chrysididae, etc.
The volume before us is written by Abbd J. J. Kieffer, better known for his work in the Diptera, and treats of two subfamilies of the Cynipidae or gall-making wasps -the Ibaliinae and the Cynipinae, It is a large octavo, contains 678 pages, and is illustrated by 2~ plates, each plate being crowded with figures showing the structural characters of these wasps and the galls or deformations caused by them on various trees and plants.
The work is admirably planned. After a brief introdueti~n ~hb6 Kieffer enters minutely into the general characters of the Cynipidae: the head, thorax, abdomen, and their appendages are taken up in order and accurately and fully defined.




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44
PSYCHE [February
JMore entet-ing into the systematic account of these insects, he discusses fdly their early stages-the egg: egg laying: larva, and pupa. The biology of the
Cynipidae shonld come iu here hut is only briefly touched, The Alh6, however,
says : '' Nons ne donnons ici que g6116raIities sur la biologie cles Cynipes, en nous reservant de tmiter cette question plus longuenient PILE tard pour chacune des cinq ti-ihs dans lesquelles on r4parti ces insectes," A good bibliography of the Cynipidae follows ; this appears 10 l x fairly com- plcte, the list of papers given numbering '342. No reference, however, is made to Saussure's genus Obertl~iirella, dcscrilxd fl-om Africa, a reimrka1Ae form falling in my subfamily Liopterinae.
Abb6 Kicffer gives a good rest11n6 of the various schen~es of classification pruposed for these insects, and has recognized five tribes, viz.: (I) Ibaliinae (2) Cynipinae, (3) Allotriinae, (4) kcoilinae, and (5) Figitinae. This arrangement is good ; it is substantidly Ftirstcr's classification, who called the tribes families, Ibalioidae, Cynipoidae, etc., except that Fihter had two additional fatnilies, the Megapclmniclae and the Onychioidae. Kieffer has evi- dently merged these with his tribe Figitinae, to which tiicy are undonbtedly closely allied, having originated from a common steni. In the opinion of the witer, the families of E'tirsier are mtwd ~ V I @ X , although probably not of equal value, a d all should bc accepted in the sense of tribes and subfamilies. The terniination of these natural groups, whether in oidae. ida, ides, idae, ina, inae or ini, is of seconda~-y iniportance, ~lntil a uniform system, for indicating families, snbfamilies and tribes, is established. The Cynipides of the oldel- authors, I think, represent a superfamily- the Cynipoidea, with two very distinct families? the Figitidae and the Cynipidae, nearly as was first pointed out by Hartig- in 1840.' In
my own systematic work in the Hymenoptera, I have conscientio~~sly endeavored to define clearly the families, subfamilies and tribes, making use of the endings idat, iaae and iki to designate each, respectively, so that no mistake can be made as to what the groups really represent. The groups recognized by KiefCer as tribes are really natural groups, first pinted out by Thornson and Forster, and should be accepted, whether. they he called families, subfamilies, or tribes. The first subfamily treated by Kieffer is the Ihaliinac; it is represented by ol~ly a sing1e.species in Europe, while in America we have several species,



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The tribe Cynipinae of Kieffer, includes both the genuine gall-makers (our Cynipinae) and the inqi~ilines or con~niensals (our Synerginae). He begins with an excellent table for recognizing the galls found on all trees and plants except those found on oak trees; the galls fonnd on the oak are tabi~lated in a separate table, Eac11 species of oak is then taken up separately and a good table of the galls found on each is given. All the tables are full and clear, and will be fo~md of incal- culable value to the student; they make the identificz~tion of the numerous EUI-opea11 cynipidons galls easy.
Kieffer devotes many pages to the origin, for~i~ation, and structure of galls, the uses they al-e put to, and to l~eterogenesis and parthenogenesis. It is the most interesting part of the work and sho~~ld be read by all. 111 a11 excellent dichoto~nons table of the genera of the Cynipides gallicoles, pages 239 to 257, IGefFer defines 22 genera. He descl-ibes one gen~~s, PANTE- LIEI,T,A, as new. It is allied to I)IAS~ROPI~JS, but is easily separated by the meso- notum being longitudinally striate, by the clam being feebly denticdate, and by the 1-elative length of the second antenna1 joint. 'J'his tablc of genera does not include all the Imown genera. of thc gall-making Cynipids, but only those found in E~~rope; other exotic genera American, African, etc,, not includcd in the table, are, however, alluded to in footnotcs. In going through
this work, one feature that especially co~nnicnds itself is the compiled list of thc commensals and parasites bred from cad1 species or gall that terminates the dc~cripti~~ll. Much time and labor have been expended in compiling these lists; thcy are, howcvcr, of immense value, not only as an aid to the identification of the species, but on account of the great insight they give in regard to the habits and parasitism of the many species involved in these reasings, Because a parasite is bred from a cynipicl gall it does not necessarily follow that it attacks the gall-maker; it may or it may not; it n ~ y come from some of the comme~~sals, coleopterol~s, lepidoptcrom, neuropterous, etc,, often fonnd in galls, The importance oL this is well 111-ought out by Kieffer's list of cornme~~sals and parasites bred from a common ro~t-~ll on oak, Bio~hiza $aZZida Oliver, arranged in two col~m~ns.
Here it is :
Commensals. Parasites.




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46
J'S YCHE [February
Lepidoptera: Lithosia co7njZana L. Hymenoptera : Eu~ytomidae, 7 species PhtkwobZastis mutaciXana Z.
E~zcytidm, 3 species
" cos~~utzcta~za Hw. PteromaZidae, 28 species (= gallicoiana 3.)
Steganojtych co~tica~ia H.
Eulojhid~re, 9 species
Penthnia p&ndam Sr.
khn~u~no~idae, 9 species
Hymenoptera : Sy7ze~gusjo~n~ot~~is Eonse B~amnidae, 9 species
(= fascialis Hart.)
li ruficornis Hart.
Diptera : CZieodt&o~i$ biorhizae Kief.
The bethylids came from the Lepidoptera, the ceraphronids and ~~la~yg~stel-icls from the Diptera, the iclmeumonids and braconids from the Coleopten a~id the Lepidoptera, etc., etc.
Much more could be said of this important work, the most thorougl~ and interesting yet published on the Cpipidae. I[ nlust, however, be seen and read to be thoroughly appreciated and sl1ould be found in ail onr libraries. The author is to be congratulated on his splcndid worl~ U'M. 13. ASHMEAD.




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Volume 10 table of contents