An updated classification of the order Hymenoptera is provided with the current numbers of genera and species described so far specified. The order is composed of 2 suborders, 27 superfamilies, 132 families, 8423 extant genera with an additional 685 extinct genera. Considered one of the most species-rich insects orders a total of 153088 extant species have been described, in addition to 2429 extinct species.

Digonocryptus Viereck, a large genus of Neotropical Cryptini, is diagnosed, described, and fully revised. Two species complexes are proposed, and cladistically resolved. A total of 45 valid species are recognized, of which 26 are described as new, D. arcaeus, D. archisius, D. atrozyrix, D. banius, D. boraeus, D. caceres, D. campygeus, D. caraguatensis, D. cennitus, D. domius, D. elegans, D. huntus, D. iageus, D. meridensis, D. mettus, D. petrus, D. pitchus, D. rufozyrix, D. sautatus, D. silopoeus, D. sipius, D. siraeus, D. teleborus, D. variabilis, D. yacamus, and D. yunnus. Other valid species are D. annulitarsis (Cameron), D. chiriquensis (Cameron), D. coloratus (Szépligeti), D. crassipes (Brullé), D. denticulatus (Taschenberg), D. diversicolor (Viereck), D. grossipes (Brullé), D. inermis (Szépligeti), D. inflatus (Brullé), D. narratorius (Fabricius), D. niger (Szépligeti), D. propodeator Kasparyan et Ruíz, D. pulchripes (Cameron), D. rufigaster (Szépligeti), D. sutor (Fabricius), D. tarsatus (Cresson), D. thoracicus Kasparyan et Ruíz, D. variegatus (Szépligeti), and D. varipes (Brullé). Four new synonymies are proposed: D. insularis (Ashmead) and D. grenadensis (Ashmead) as junior synonyms for D. narratorius (Fabricius); D. rufithorax (Taschenberg) as junior synonym for D. inflatus (Brullé); and D. femorator Kasparyan et Ruíz as junior synonym for D. variegatus (Szépligeti). A total of 44 new distribution records are registered for all valid species except D. propodeator and D. tarsatus. A taxonomic key for species based on females, habitus and propodeum illustrations, along with photographic illustrations of diagnostic features, are provided for all valid species.

The Stephanidae literature through July 2004 is summarized and 326 valid species, including 6 fossil species, are cataloged. Information on the localization of primary and secondary type material, as well as updated names for the localities of primary types, are provided for all valid and synonymized species. Literature treatment of male and female specimens is discriminated in the synonymic listing of all species. The following 90 nomenclatural changes are made: Genus-level type designation (1): Bothrioceros Europaeus Sichel designated as type species of Bothrioceros Sichel. New combinations (69): From Diastephanus: Foenatopus alutaceus (Morley), F. anupam (Narendran & Sureshan), F. bilineatus (Elliott), F. burmaensis (Narendran & Sureshan), F. capitatus (Benoit), F. carinifrons (Enderlein), F. chinnarensis (Sureshan), F. chinensis (Elliott), F. christineae (Narendran), F. costifrons (Elliott), F. daccaensis (Narendran & Sureshan), F. dohrni (Enderlein), F. elegans (Elliott), F. elegantulus (Elliott), F. elongatus (Elliott), F. equatorialis (Benoit), F. flaviceps (Elliott), F. flavifrons (Elliott), F. frontilinea (Morley), F. fuscidens (Kieffer), F. gracilis (Kieffer), F. keralensis (Narendran & Sureshan), F. lucifer (Elliott), F. maculifemur (Enderlein), F. multicolor (Elliott), F. parviceps (Enderlein), F. parvulus (Elliott), F. priyae (Narendran & Sureshan), F. quadridens (Elliott), F. salomonis (Westwood), F. sangalensis (Benoit), F. semiglaber (Elliott), F. simillimus (Elliott), F. stom (Narendran & Sureshan), F. sudhae (Narendran & Sureshan), F. sulcatus (Elliott), F. szepligetii (Enderlein), F. tertianus (Morley), F. trialbatus (Elliott), F. trilineatus (Elliott), F. trilobatus (Elliott), F. wynadensis (Sureshan & Narendran); from Madegafoenus: Megischus bekilyanus (Benoit), M. occiputalis (Benoit); from Megischus: Afromegischus gigas (Schletterer), Foenatopus phoberopus (Sausurre); from Neostephanus: Foenatopus alluaudi (Kieffer), F. berlandi (Benoit), F. camerunus (Enderlein), F. collaris (Benoit), F. crassiceps (Bischoff), F. globiceps (Enderlein), F. insignis (Schletterer), F. longicaudatus (Benoit), F. micans (Benoit), F. obockensis (Benoit), F. oemidaphagus (Benoit), F. pauliani (Benoit), F. pentheri (Kieffer); from Pseudomegischus: Afromegischus tibiator (Schletterer); from Stephanus: Comnatopus xanthocephalus (Cameron); Megischus collectivus (Elliott), M. diversus (Schletterer), M. lanceolatus (Kieffer), M. sanmartinianus (Orfila), M. seyrigi (Benoit), M. hornianus (Enderlein), M. tricolor (Elliott), M. willineri (Orfila). Replacement names (3): Foenatopus annularis Aguiar, generic transfer and replacement name for Diastephanus annulipes Elliott, preventing secondary homonym with F. annulipes (Elliott); F. rufocinctus Aguiar, new status and replacement name for Stephanus togoensis var. fasciatus Enderlein, preventing secondary homonym with F. fasciatus Sz pligeti; Parastephanellus curtus Aguiar, replacement name for secondary homonym of P. curticollis (Elliott) with P. curticollis Elliott. New status (2): Comnatopus Achterberg, new status for Profoenatopus (Comnatopus) Achterberg; Parastephanellus coriaceus Kieffer, new status for Parastephanellus polychromus var. coriacea Kieffer. New genus-group synonyms (1): Pseudomegischus (Callomegischus) Achterberg, new syn- onymy for Afromegischus Achterberg. New species-group synonyms (7): Stephanus comma Morley, new synonymy for Comnatopus xanthocephalus (Cameron); Foenatopus flavicollis flavissimus Benoit, new synonymy for F. flavicollis Cameron; Stephanus testaceipes Elliott, Stephanus iesuiticus Orfila, S. paraguayensis Orfila, and S. martinezi Orfila, new synonyms for Megischus maculipennis Westwood; Parastephanellus impunctatus Elliott, new synonymy for P. nigricaudus (Sichel).Reinstated name (1): Megischus ruficeps Saussure, reinstated, invalidating M. saussurei (Schulz). Species inquirendum (1): Schlettererius rufipes (Say, 1824), a Braconidae. Nomina nuda (3): Foenus diadema Fabricius, nomen nudum for M. coronator (Fabricius); Stephanus curticauda Elliott, nomen nudum for M. curtus (Elliott); Stephanus frontalis Klug, nomen nudum, correspondent species unknown.

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Conhecimento da Diversidade de Insetos no Brasil: Desafi os e AvançosRESUMO -Em breve, um milhão de espécies de insetos estará descrita em todo mundo. O Brasil, com cerca de 9% desse total e possivelmente outras 400 mil espécies ainda não descritas, tem a maior diversidade de insetos. Mas temos cerca de 140 taxônomos ativos, o que signifi ca aproximadamente 3.600 espécies de insetos para cada profi ssional. Como cada um deles publica em média 100 espécies novas durante sua vida profi ssional, seriam necessários 2-3 mil anos para descrever toda nossa entomodiversidade. Alguns dos problemas para o desenvolvimento da taxonomia de insetos no Brasil são: difi culdades em obter empréstimos de alguns museus estrangeiros; difi culdades para dissecar espécimes tipos emprestados; depreciação de revistas taxonômicas pela aplicação do fator de impacto; persistência da compreensão limitada do valor do conhecimento taxonômico; legislação restritiva para trabalho de campo; e desrespeito à legislação brasileira que regulamenta sobre o depósito de material biológico coletado no país. Para ações verdadeiramente efetivas para preservação da diversidade biológica no país são necessários: a criação de um centro nacional de informação sobre o conhecimento de diversidade entomológica; investimentos em conjunto de instituições que atuariam como eixos de desenvolvimento do conhecimento taxonômico; investimentos na formação de novos taxonomistas; soluções para os problemas burocráticos que inibem o cumprimento constitucional de conhecimento da biodiversidade; e ações altamente organizadas para conter o desmatamento em áreas de alta diversidade. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Entomodiversidade, entomologia, fator de impacto, sistemática, taxonomia ABSTRACT -Insects will soon reach one million known species worldwide. Brazil, with about 9% of this total, and possibly another 400 thousand species yet to be discovered, harbors the highest insect diversity in the world. The country has a complement of about 140 active taxonomists, which means a quota of 3,600 insect species per professional. Each Brazilian taxonomist publishes, on average, about 100 species during a professional life span, so it would take 2-3 thousand years to only know the country's insect diversity. Some of the problems hindering the development of insect taxonomy in Brazil are: diffi culties with international loans; diffi culties with permission for dissecting loaned type specimens; low scientifi c esteem of taxonomic journals as assessed by the Impact Factor index; academic low esteem of taxonomy knowledge; legal restrictions to fi eld work and disregard of the Brazilian legislation that regulates the fi nal destination of biological material. If truly responsible actions towards preserving biological diversity are to be undertaken nationwide, key problems must be addressed and solved: creation of a national center of information on entomological diversity; investment in a core of institutions that would act as an axis for the development of taxonomic knowledge; investment in the form...