MFTILLA. 287 



I am unable to recognize either this or the preceding species amongst our Mexican 

 Mutillidse, no mention being made of the form of the apical abdominal segment or of 

 the clypeus. M. ardens has the pubescence " yellowish " ; and M. fulviventris the 

 scape of the antennae " apicem versus subdilatato." 



** 31. Mutilla psyra. 



Long. 10 millim. <$ . 



Hah. Mexico, North Yucatan (Gaumer). 



Head coarsely, rugosely punctured, sparsely covered with short pale hair, more thickly 

 on either side of the base of the antennas ; the part over the clypeus projecting, smooth, 

 shining, and glabrous, the apex rounded ; the mandibles entirely black. The scape of 

 the antennae grooved on the inner side, shining, and bearing a few hairs ; the flagellum 

 brownish on the lower side towards the apex; the third joint thinner and distinctly 

 longer than the fourth. The pronotum sparsely covered with dull silvery hair, and 

 marked with large, deep punctures, the apex broadly rounded in the middle; the 

 mesonotum coarsely punctured, sparsely covered with short fuscous hair ; the scutellum 

 moderately convex, coarsely punctured, narrowed slightly and depressed towards the 

 apex, where it bears long white hair, the transverse depression at its base wide and 

 deep. The median segment has a gradually rounded slope to the apex ; coarsely 

 reticulated, sparsely covered with pale hair, the base being without the usual 

 patch of depressed pubescence ; the median area curved inwardly before and behind 

 the middle; the apex rounded, the reticulations on either side of it longer than 

 usual. The propleurse reticulated, except behind and in front; the mesopleurse 

 with large deep punctures, and covered with silvery hair; the metapleuree reti- 

 culated, except in front and on an oblique stripe down below the middle. The 

 tegulte are large, shining, and glabrous. The basal segment of the abdomen is 

 black, except at the apex; it has large, round, scattered punctures, except in the 

 middle at the apex, and is very sparsely covered with short white hairs. The second 

 segment is depressed at its junction with the first; it is rather strongly punctured, 

 except in the middle towards the apex, the punctures being larger towards the base. 

 The other segments are finely punctured, except at the apex, and are fringed with fiery- 

 ferruginous hair. The pygidium is strongly punctured and covered with fuscous or pale 

 hair ; the middle towards the apex is raised and ends in a blunt tooth, from which a 

 keel runs down to the bottom, the apex being oblique ; the sides from about the middle 

 are bluntly keeled. The first ventral segment has the keel a little depressed in the 

 middle, and it is not dilated at the base ; the segment behind it is transverse, and has 

 two elongated large foveas, closely united. The second ventral segment has large, 

 elongated, widely separated punctures. The other segments are finely punctured and 

 fringed with long pale hair. From the middle of the hypopygium run two stout 

 curved keels, which converge towards the apex, this part being transverse. The wings 



