100 MB. smith's catalogue of hymbnopteeous insects 



the antennse, the scape, cheeks and mandibles, thinly covered with 

 long white pubescence ; the head coarsely punctured ; a deep trans- 

 verse impressed hne behind the oceUi, the vertex impunctate. Thorax : 

 the prothorax forming a neck, with two elevated tubercles behind ; 

 the mesothorax with three or four transverse elevated carinae at the 

 base, the spaces between rugose ; the disk behind, smooth and shi- 

 ning ; the scutellum with an elevated shining tubercle in the middle ; 

 the metathorax smooth and shining, with an elevated carina traversing 

 its margins ; the lateral margins produced at the sides into a blunt 

 angle or tooth ; the disk with two longitudinal carinae which curve 

 towards the sides, then inwardly towards the apical margin, not quite 

 meeting in the centre ; between the curved carinae are two central and 

 two lateral ones, none extending to the outward ones ; wings sub- 

 hyaline and splendidly iridescent ; the thorax at the sides and beneath, 

 and also the abdomen, thinly clothed with white pubescence ^ the third 

 segment above, with scattered short white hairs. Abdomen very 

 delicately and distantly punctured. 



Hab. Borneo (Sarawak). 



This beautiful species is very distinct from the Trirogma carulea, the 

 only species previously known; the antennae are much longer and 

 perfectly filiform, the apex of the joints not thickened as in that 

 species. 



Gen. Sphex, Fabr. 



1. Sphex sericea. 



Sphex sericea, Fabr. Syst. Piez. p. 211, 19. 



Hab. Borneo (Sarawak). Malacca. 



This species is very widely distributed : we have seen examples from 

 the islands of the Pacific, the Philippine Islands and Java ; some 

 specimens have the scutellum and post-scutellum black ; in all pro- 

 bability the S.ferruginea of St. Fargeau is a variety of this insect. 



2. Sphex nigripes. 



Sphex nigripes. Smith, Cat. Hym. pt. 4. p. 254 ? . 

 Hab. Singapore. Sumatra. 



3. Sphex DiABOLicus. -S. ater; metathorace densissime nigro-pubes- 

 cens ; alis flavo-hyahnis basi fuscis, apice subnebeculosis. 



Female. Length 14 lines. Black; the head and thorax opake; the 

 mandibles very stout, forcipate, acute at their apex and having a stout 

 tooth in the middle of their inner edge ; their outer margins fringed 

 with long hairs; the face thinly covered with black pubescence. 

 Thorax : the metathorax covered with a dense black pubescence : 

 a similar-coloured pubescence, but more sparing, clothes the thorax 

 on the sides and beneath ; wings flavo-hyaline, blackish at their base ; 



