296 HYMENOPTEEA. 



OPHIOPTERUS. 



Ophiopterus, Brulle, Hist. Nat. Ins. Hym^n. iv. p. 153 (1846). 

 A genus exclusively American, and containing few species. 



1. Ophiopterus fuscipes. 



Niger ; facie, ore, orbitis, linea pronoti, tegulis, scutello abdominisque basi, flavis ; pedibus fuscis, anticis 



pallidis ; alis hyalinis, nervis nigris. $ . 

 Long. 12 millim. 



Hab. Mexico, Orizaba (Bilimek). 



Densely covered with a silvery- white pubescence, densest on the pleurae. Head finely 

 punctured ; antenna? short, not much longer than the head and thorax together, the scape 

 pale yellow beneath. Pronotum obliquely, the mesonotum transversely and very strongly, 

 striated, the striations widely separated ; a shining impunctate space below the hind 

 wings on the mesopleurse ; the rest strongly longitudinally striated, running at the edges 

 into reticulations ; scutellum shining, nearly impunctate ; metathorax coarsely reticu- 

 lated, and having a gradual slope to the apex. Abdomen shining, impunctate, covered 

 with a pale close pile ; black, the sides from the third segment obscure rufous ; sheath 

 of the ovipositor black. Legs in greater part fuscous, covered with a pale pile ; the 

 femora inclining to rufous on the lower side ; the fore legs almost entirely, and the 

 middle pair in front, pallid testaceous. 



2. Ophiopterus niger. 



Niger ; alis fere fuscis. <$ . 

 Long. 16 millim. 



Hab. Mexico, Hurchihuitle (Bilimek). 



Head semiopaque, covered with a depressed pile ; a longitudinal keel running down 

 from the ocelli, and from it short striations proceed on either side ; thorax finely punc- 

 tured, a smooth, shining, impunctate space beneath the wings ; pronotum at the sides 

 obliquely striated ; mesopleurse at the edges longitudinally striated ; mesonotum in front 

 of the scutellum reticulated ; metathorax coarsely reticulated. Abdomen three times the 

 length of the thorax, shining, impunctate ; the three basal segments cylindrical, narrow, 

 the second segment the longest. 



3. Ophiopterus ferrugineus. 



Ophiopterus ferrugineus, Cresson, Proc. Acad. Phil. 1873, p. 380 ( ? ) \ 

 Hab. Mexico, Orizaba (Sumichrast 1 ). 



