S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 27/2. (Budapest, 1974)
parasites have many hosts. According to the present belief, ectoparasitism and having many hosts are both ancient (plesiomorph) features. Endoparasitism always means a certain degree of limitations: a special habitat (e.g. shrub level in spring-summer aspect, on trunks, under moss, in fruits, etc.) or it may be restricted to a certain developmental stage of the host. This limitation is compensated by way that they parasitize a great variety of hosts. Often a restriction to habitat and to host (i.e. in fact, an example of Darwinean adaptation) counterbalance each other in a rather varied way . Almost each of the species shows a different picture of host spectrum, and that where and when the latter lives. It quite frequently occurs that well separable taxonomic groups live on again similarly delimited host groups (e.g. 'Triaspiinae live on weevils, Bruc hidae, the species of Ap an te le s genus in various groups of Lepidoptera). Probably in these cases the closely allied species, specie s-groups, genera foUow similar parasitic habit and owing to their physiological-morphological faculties likewise parasitize related host-groups. Phylogenetically it can be explained that a process is taking place in which the species show exclusive parasitism in certain host-groups (or in extraordinary cases only in one host). The specialized groups indicate that this is a recently acquired feature, in fact, it is synapomorph in nature. Not only subspecies and species search for their new palce in the sequence of geohistory but we can say that the same applies for the higher taxa, too. Of course, this principle is applicable to the representatives óf Braconidae as well. 4. Plesio- and apomorph features of eidonomy: a) Decrease in body size. - There is a general evolutionary trend affecting all the representatives of Ichneumonoidea including Braconidae and that is a general decrease in size. The average size of ectoparasites is bigger than that of endoparasites. The ectoparasitic Braconinae-Rogadinae are 6-8-10-15 mm in an average, only a very small number of species goes below the size of 4-5 mm. On the other hand, all other Braconidae show an average size of 2-3-4 mm, being exclusively endoparasites. The most specialized endoparasitic synapomorph species belong to Opiinae , Dacnusinae and Alysiinae with and average size of 1-1.5-1-2.5 mm. b) The microsculpture of body surface. - We cannot say for certain that scrobiculaterugose-coriaceous-punctate-alutaceous-punctulate, etc. in other words, a body surface displaying a certain degree of sculpture is an apomorph feature in constrast with a surface bearing very weak or no sculpture at all (plesiomormph) . The rather meagre Bra conidae fossils, however, seem to support the above assumption. We rather rely on corresponding comparative Ichneumonoidea morphology when even within a small group we try to separate smaller units showing plesiomorph and apomorph features. For instance, the species group of Apanteles glomeratus (36 European species) displaying scrobiculate propodeum and tergites 1-2 (-3) is considered apomorph in contrast with the Apanteles laevigatus species group (51 European species) wich have smooth, glabrous, at most weakly rugose-rugulose propodeum and tergites. The synapomorph Opiinae, Alysiinae and Dacnusinae have smooth, at most coriaceous-rugose surface areas. Still if we consider only their sculpture then we ought to regard them plesiomorph on the basis of smooth surface areas and apomorph features developed within the subfamilies in certain rugose genera, although especially Dacnusinae and Alysiinae are by far apomorph in character in the light of aH their other features. For example, within Dacnusinae the Symphya (12 Holarctic species), within Opiinae t he Coleopius (1 European and 3 Ethiopie species) have abdominal tergites with scabrosity (it is further interesting to
