ELIS. 231 



Tampico (Saussure n ), Tres Marias Is. (Forrer), Acapulco, Eio Papagaio, and Venta de 

 Zopilote, all in Guerrero (E. H. Smith), Santiago Iscuintla in Jalisco (Schumann), San 

 Lorenzo near Cordova (M. Trujillo), Atoyac in Vera Cruz (H. H. Smith), Temax in 

 North Yucatan (Gaumer) ; Guatemala, Capetillo (Champion); Panama, David (Cham- 

 spion). — Venezuela 7 ; Guiana 9 , Cayenne 7 ; Amazons; Brazil 57 , Bahia 8 ; Chili 12 ; 

 Antilles, Haiti 12 , St. Thomas 12 . 



This common and widely distributed species shows great variation in the colour of 

 the abdomen. In some examples the third and fourth abdominal segments only are 

 red — either entirely or with the edges marked with black; in others, the segments 

 from the second are entirely red, or red with the base lined with black, regularly or 

 irregularly. The apical segment is usually black ; but in rare cases it may be orange 

 including the hairs. In a few specimens the basal segment has a pale yellow band. 

 The wings vary in colour from deep violaceous to pale fuscous. The species also shows 

 great variation in size : we have a specimen from North Yucatan only 15 millim. in 

 length, while other Mexican examples nearly reach 30 millim. 



The male differs greatly from the female in coloration, it having a mark on the clypeus, 

 another on the pronotum, and the scutellum and postscutellum yellow; while on the 

 abdomen (instead of the red or orange colour of the female) there are four (sometimes 

 only three) yellow fasciae ; the wings, too, are subhyaline or pale fuscous. 



f. Wings subhyaline, sometimes infuscated along the costa ; the abdomen with yellow 

 fasciae ; the head and thorax with red or cinereous hair. (Species 10-14.) 



10. Elis plumipes. 



Sphex plumipes, Drury, Illustr. Exot. Ins. i. p. 104, t. 44. fig. 5 1 ; Christ, Linn. Natur-Syst. Ins. 



Hymen, t. 28. fig. 2 2 . 

 Elis plumipes, Sauss. & Sichel, Cat. Sp. Gen. Scolia, p. 243 3 . 



Scolia radula, Fabr. Syst. Ent. p. 355 4 ; Ent. Syst. ii. p. 232 5 (nee Syst. Piez. p. 242). 

 Scolia guadricincta, Klug, in Weber & Mohr's Beitr. i. p. 37 6 . 

 Scolia fossulana, Pabr. Syst. Piez. p. 242 7 . 



Colpa fossulana, Lep. de St.-Fargeau, Hist. Nat. Ins. Hymen, iii. p. 540 8 . 

 Elis fossulana, Sauss. Melang. Hymen, p. 56 9 . 

 Scolia confluenta, Say, Western Quarterly Eeporter, ii. p. 74 10 ; Amer. Ent. p. 68, t. 29. fig. 1 " ; 



Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist. i. p. 364 12 ; Complete Writings, i. p. 164 13 , ii. p. 749". 



Hab. Noeth America 4 5 10 - 14 , New York 1 , Pennsylvania 3 8 , Carolina 7 8 , Louisiana 3 , 

 Illinois 3 . — Mexico, Amula, Tierra Colorada, and Dos Arroyos, all in Guerrero (IT. H. 

 Smith), Jalisco (Schumann), Guadalajara, Cordova (Hoge), Jalapa (F. D. G.), Orizaba 

 (H. H. Smith & F. D. G.), Atoyac in Vera Cruz (H. H. Smith) ; Panama, Volcan de 

 Chiriqui 2500 to 4000 feet (Champion). — South Ameeica, Amazons, Brazil 3 , 



I refer the specimens from Central and South America to B. plumipes with some 



