72 



The Ottawa Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXII. 



Note The only western male of communis in 

 the Canadian National Collection is from Aweme, 

 Man. (Criddle) and has the surface of segment 7 as 

 in occidenialis. This suggests a possible gradation 

 between the two forms. 



RuFA Group. 



9. Tibiae bearing long erect black hair, those on 

 hind tibiae almost as long as tibial spurs; angles 

 on margin of clypeus more pointed than in 

 acadica ; tarsi somewhat larger and thicker, 

 especially those of the fore legs; black on ab- 

 domen never extensive enough to enclose yellow 

 spots except on segment I , segment 2 with a 

 narrow black basal band widened m centre 

 and then spreading sideways. 



female 2075, austriaca Pz. 

 Ottawa, Chelsea, Que., mid-June; Winnipeg, 

 mid-July; Kaslo, B.C., mid-July. This species 

 is parasitic m nests of f '. rufa L. in Europe. 

 Only males and females are known. 



Tibiae practically destitute of long erect black 

 hair, but sometimes a few short sub-decumbent 

 black hairs on basal part of the joint 10 



10. Smaller (female length 14 mm., male length 

 about 12 mm.) Darker. Clypeus flattened, an- 

 teri. ngles not specially prominent, clypeus 

 bearing a longitudinal black ''"^ extending from 

 near apex to base, widened apically. Lateral 

 yellow stripe on prothorax narrow, parallel 

 sided. Segments 2 to 5 each t\)pically with a 

 broad black hand which in the female contains 

 a small yellow spot near the apical margin on 

 either side. These spots occasionally reddish 

 or absent. On segments 3 to 5 the black band 

 is widened to receive the spots which may not 

 be completely enclosed at the sides. In the 

 neuter, spots are present rarely on second seg- 

 ment only, and these are reddish, and second 

 ventral segment occasionally has a red lateral 

 spot. Hair denser and longer especially on 



clypeus and segment 1 , which is only slightly 

 narrower than segment 2. Stipes dark, the 

 apical portion narrower and more membranous, 

 male 4012, female 2072 acadica n. sp. 

 Nova Scotia, (not rare); Painsec, N.B.; 

 Ottawa; Kaslo, B.C.; Victoria, B.C. Near 

 to vidua and the European species rufa. Makes 

 aerial nest. 



Larger (female 17 mm., male length 14 mm.) 

 Clypeus more convex. Anterior angles more 

 prominent. Clypeus with only 3 small black 

 spots near apex. Yellow areas on prothorax 

 and abdomen wider. Hair, especially on 

 clypeus and basal segment, more scanty and 

 shorter. Segments 3 to 5 each have narrower 

 basal black bands which in the female and 

 neuter are angularly produced backwards in 

 centre, with a line or black spot on either side, 

 which on segment 2 or 3 is usually enlarged and 

 fused into the angular production 1 1 



I I . Segment 2 with a broad black band covering 

 about eight-ninths of the segment in the middle. 

 Yellow markings on thorax slightly paler than 

 those on abdomen (? effect of cyanide). Pro- 

 thorax stripe parallel sided. Stipes testaceous, 

 the apical appendage wider and less mem- 

 braneous. 



male 2076, female 2073, vidua Sauss. 

 Female, Port Rowan and Simcoe, Ont. (G. S. 

 Spencer) ; neuter, Chatham, Ont. (F. W. L. 

 S.) ; male, Toronto. 



Segment 2 with the black area only slightly 

 more extensive than on segment 3. Tint of 

 yellow uniform. Prothoracic stripe subtrian- 

 gular, nearly as wide as long in female. 



female 4013, neuter 4014, atropilosa n. sp. 

 One female Lethbridge, Alta. (F. W. L. S.); 

 many workers, Vernon, B.C. ; Keremeos, B.C. ; 

 Okanagan Landing, B.C. (F. W. L. S.) 



