PHILANTH0CEPHALU8.— SPHECIUS. 



91 



sparsely and finely, the front rather strongly and closely, punctured ; vertical furrow 

 thin, short, not reaching more than halfway between the antennae and ocelli ; inner 

 orbits of the eyes yellow. Thorax finely, the median segment more strongly, punc- 

 tured; stoutly and closely pubescent; basal fovea of median segment pear-shaped, 

 deep ; apex of the median segment oblique, moderately deeply furrowed ; a line on the 

 pronotum, the tubercles, a spot behind them, the tegulee, the greater part of the 

 scutellum, the metanotum, and two large, longish marks on the median segment, 

 yellow. Abdomen with two marks on the apex of the petiole, a large band on the 

 second segment, and one on the fourth and following segments (including the pygidial 

 area), yellow; ventral segments densely covered with fuscous hair. The anterior and 

 middle knees and tibiae, and all the tarsi, yellow, the tarsal joints black at the apex. 

 The second recurrent nervure is almost interstitial. 



x/ 



Pam. BEMBICIMI. 



SPHECIUS. 



Sphecius, Dahlbom, Hymen. Europ. i. p. 154 (1843) ; Pattern, Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. v. 



p. 34 (1880). 

 Hogardia, Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, Hist. Nat. des Ins., Hymen, iii. p. 288 (1845). 

 Stizus, Smith, Cat. Hym. Ins. iv. p. 336 (nee Latreille) ; Packard, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil. vi. p. 441 - t 



Taschenberg, Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Naturw. Sachs. Thiir. xlv. p. 359. 



l. Sphecius speciosus. (Tab. VI. fig. 8, $ .) 



Sphex speciosus, Drury, Exot. Ins. ii. p. 71, t. 38. fig. 1 ( ? ). 



Stizus speciosus, Lep. de Saint-Farg. & Serv. Encycl. Method, x. p. 496, t. 382. fig. 6 (?) j Westw. 



ed. Drury's Exot. Ins. ii. p. 77, t. 38. fig. 1 (?) ; Blanch. Diet. Univ. d'Hist. Nat., Atlas, ii. 



Hymen, t. 2. figg. 3 (<J), 7 ( ? ) ; Smith, Cat. Hym. Ins. iv. p. 336; Packard, Proc. Ent. Soc. 



Phil. vi. p. 442 (?) ; Walsh, Am. Ent. i. p. 129, fig. 103, & ii. p. 87, fig. 57 ( J ). 

 Hogardia speciosa, Lep. de Saint-Farg. Hist. Nat. des Ins., Hymen, iii. p. 290. 

 Sphecius speciosus, Dahlb. Hymen. Europ. i. p. 154 (?) j Patton, Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. 



v. p. 342 \ 

 ? Sphecius speciosus, var. convattis, Patton, Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. v. p. 343. 

 Vespa tricincta, Fabr. Ent. Syst. ii. p. 254 ; Syst. Piez. p. 254. 

 ? Stizus grandis, Say, West. Quart. Rep. ii. p. 77 ; Am. Ent. p. 3, t. 2. figg. 1 ( ? ), 2 ( <J ) ; Complete 



Writings, i. pp. 3, 165, t. 2. figg. 1 ( ? ), 2 ( <J ) ; Packard, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil. vi. p. 442 (?) ; 



Riley, First Ann. Rep. Ins. Missouri, p. 27, fig. 12 ( ? ) (1869) ; Walsh, Am. Ent. i. p. 8, fig. 3, 



&p. 129, fig. 102(?). 

 ? Stizus fervidus, Cresson, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. iv. p. 223 ( ? ). 



Edb. North America, from Connecticut southwards. — Guatemala, Panzos in Vera 

 Paz (Champion); Honduras, Ruatan Island (Gaumer). 



It is a questionable point as to whether S. grandis, 8. fervidus, S. speciosus, var. 

 convallis, S. raptor, Handl., and S. hogardii are distinct species, or only varieties of 

 S. speciosus. Patton was inclined to regard them as forms of 8. speciosus, but Hand- 



NN 2 



