1893.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 539 



ASTATUS Latr. 



Astatits Latr., Precis, des Car. gen. des Ins. p. 114. 1796. 



Astata Latr.. Hist. Nat. gen. et part, des Crust, et Ins., T. Ill, p. 336. 1805. 



Astatits Kohl, Verb, zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, XXXIV, p. 431. 1885. 



Head about as broad as the thorax ; mandibles without eniargina- 

 tion on outer margin, on their inner side, not far from the apex, with 

 a blunt tooth; eyes in the ? but little converging towards the vertex, 

 in the $ they touch each other at that place ; ocelli round and con- 

 vex; antenna) originating close to the clypeus, the distance between 

 their bases is about equal to that between them and the eye-margin; 

 prothorax much smaller than the mesothorax, the pronotum drawn 

 down deeply under the level of dorsuluru; shoulder tubercles reaching 

 the tegula ■; wings with a broadly, truncated marginal cell, the length of 

 which varies in the different species, three submarginal and two dis- 

 coiclal cells; the posterior wings are remarkable by their extraordinarily 

 large and broad basal lobes; legs thickly and strongly armed; the 

 middle tibiai are hvo-spurred and the ? with a comb on fore tarsi, 

 composed of a few, moderately long thorns; claws entire, the pulvilli of 

 medium-size ; the last dorsal segment of both sexes with a pygidium, 

 which in the 9 is triangular and usually truncated at apex in the 

 $ , the latter sex has also in some species a tolerably long fringe of 

 hairs. 



This genus, remarkable through the eyes of the $ meeting on the 

 vertex, is tolerably well represented in Boreal America. With the 

 exception of a synoptical table 7 our species haven ever been treated in 

 a monographic way. Nothing is known of their habits, although it 

 is likely, that they, like the European A. boopts, store their nests with 

 Hemipterous larvse. 



FEMALES. 



1 — Marginal cell as long or longer than the first submarginal (if 



shorter it is scarcely noticeable) 2 



Marginal cells always distinctly shorter than the first submar- 

 ginal 7 



2 — Dorsulum strongly and closely punctured throughout 3 



Dorsulum, especially on posterior portion, sparsely punctured . 6 



3— Entirely black . . 4 



Abdomen red 5 



4 — Produced portion of anterior margin of clypeus subtruncate ; ver- 

 tex coarsely punctured; first joint of flagellum one-third or 

 more longer than the second unicolor. 



Canadian Entomologist, p. 232. 1892. 



