372 Annals of the South African Museum. 



hexagonal, the colour of the metathorax differs, the first abdominal 

 is not so long, and is much ampliated from the very base. 



Hab. Zambesia (Umsheki, Mashonaland). G. A. K. Marshall. 



MUTILLA CYTHERIS. 



3 . Black, clothed with whitish hairs, very dense and silky in the 

 frontal part, the prothorax and the basal part of the metathorax ; 

 first and second segments of abdomen red, the others black ; the 

 basal joint is fringed with a white apical band, the second segment 

 has an elongate transverse white patch on each side, and all the 

 other segments have a moderately broad white band deeply 

 emarginate in the centre ; head closely and deeply punctured as 

 in the preceding species, eyes large, emarginate ; prothorax deeply 

 and closely punctured, the punctures coarser and broader in the 

 metathorax ; mesothorax with a longitudinal raised line reaching the 

 apex and two shorter grooves on each side ; scutellum raised behind 

 in an erect, conspicuous tooth and fringed with long white hairs, 

 tegulae black, wings smoky, the anterior ones with a blue tinge ; 

 metathorax a little constricted at base, rounded laterally behind, and 

 having a supra-lateral carina on each side and a median grooved one 

 in the centre ; abdomen as in M. pcrscphonc but a little more 

 pyriform ; sculpture identical, ventral carina of first segment truncate 

 in front and behind and aculeate at apex, tibiae without spines, spurs 

 ivory-white. Length 15 mm. 



A close ally of M. histrio $ , Lep., and also of M. thcmis, Per., 3 ; 

 it differs mostly from the former in having the head, prothorax, and 

 metathorax covered with a dense white silky pubescence, and the 

 ventral carina of the first segment is a little more aculeate and 

 truncate at base. I was somewhat doubtful about the ? of M. 

 thonis, Per., being what it had purported to be; but now that I 

 know the 3 of M. pcrscphonc, the ? of which has white markings 

 similar to that of M. thcmis $ , I have 110 doubt of its identity, because 

 the 3 of Rt- pcrscplwnc, M. histrio, M. thcmis, and M. cytheris belong 

 to a very homogeneous group ; and although the 2 of M. histrio and 

 M. cytheris are not yet known, they will in all probability prove to 

 have markings similar to those of these two species. It is also quite 

 possible for M. pcnclopc to be the ? of the present species. 

 Hab. Zambesia (Salisbury). 



