elis. 227: 



a. Wings blackish-violaceous; the base broadly hyaline (Sp. 1), or 

 reddish-hyaline (Sp. 2). (Species 1 and 2.) 



y 1. Elis vitripennis. (Tab. xil.-fig. 10.) 



Scolia vitripennis, Smith, Cat. Hymen. Ins. iii. p. 108 \ 



Elis vitripennis, Sauss. & Sichel, Cat. Sp. Gen. Scolia, p. 216 2 . 



Hab. Mexico 2 , Tierra Colorada in Guerrero 2000 feet (H. #. Smith). — South America, 

 Amazons J , Brazil 2 . 



An example from Guerrero probably belongs to this species ; but it hardly agrees 

 with Smith's description 1 of the sculpture, " head and thorax strongly and closely punc- 

 tured, subopaque." It has the head and thorax shining, though they are not strongly 

 punctured. The fusco-violaceous colour of the wings reaches from the apex to the 

 basal nervure. The yellow band on the apex of the second abdominal segment is 

 widely interrupted, that on the third is entire above, but interrupted beneath ; there 

 are two yellow lines on the fourth segment beneath. 



2. Elis atrata. 



Scolia atrata, Fabr. Syst. Ent. p. 355 x ; Ent. Syst. ii. p. 228 2 ; Syst. Piez. p. 239 3 ; Burm. Abh. 



Nat. ges. Halle, i. 4, p. 23 4 ; Smith, Cat. Hymen. Ins. iii. p. 106 3 . 

 Colpa atrata, Lep. de St.-Fargeau, Hist. Nat. Ins. Hymen, iii. p. 535 \ 

 Elis atrata, Sauss. Melang. Hymen, p. 56 7 ; Sauss. & Sichel, Cat. Sp. Gen. Scolia, p. 213 8 . 



Hab. Panama, David in Chiriqui (Champion).— Antilles, Cuba 4 5 7 , San Domingo 4 5 , 



Jamaica 5 7 . 



A single example from the State of Panama ( 6 ) is perhaps referable to E. atrata 

 (Fabr.); it agrees fairly well with Saussure and Sichel's 8 description of the variety a of 

 that species from Patagonia, although these authors also refer their insect doubtfully 

 to E. vittata, Sichel. 



The Panama insect may be described as follows: — Body shining, covered with a 

 short, close, black pile ; the face from a little above the antennae coarsely and strongly 

 punctured ; the vertex shining, with a few widely separated punctures ; the mesonotum 

 with the lateral portions strongly punctured, and with two rows of punctures down the 

 sides ; the scutellum strongly punctured, except at the sides ; the median segment above 

 very closely punctured, slightly projecting in the middle, the apex covered with a silvery 

 pile, smooth, impunctate, except for a few punctures at the sides ; the mesopleuree 

 punctured only in front. Abdomen smooth, shining, impunctate, except at the apices 

 of the segments, sparsely covered with black hairs, the segments fringed with short 

 black hairs, the apical segment densely covered with dull rufous hairs ; on the first 

 segment is an almost continuous yellow mark ; on each of the second to the fourth 

 segments are two large, irregular, yellow marks, those on the second segment being 



2gg 2 



