We introduce new sufficient conditions for a finite algebraU to possess a finite basis of identities. The conditions are that the variety generated byU possess essentially only finitely many subdirectly irreducible algebras, and have definable principal congruences. Both conditions are satisfied if this variety is directly representable by a finite set of finite algebras. One task of the paper is to show that virtually no lattice varieties possess definable principal congruences. However, the main purpose of the paper is to apply the new criterion in proving that every para primal variety (congruence permutable variety generated by finitely many para primal algebras) is finitely axiomatizable. The paper also contains a completely new approach to the structure theory of para primal varieties which complements and extends somewhat the recent work of Clark and Krauss.