OF WASHINGTON. 231 



Melittobia chalybii n. sp. 



9- Length i l / 2 mm. Black, smooth, shining and pubescent; the 

 pubescence of the thorax black, rest of the body grayish. Head trans, 

 verse, thin antero-posteriorly ; when viewed from in front, oval, the 

 vertex being high and truncate ; frons impressed or grooved for the re 

 ception of antennae. Ocelli 3, triangularly arranged. Eyes narrow, 

 pubescent. Antennae short, 9-jointed, inserted just above the mouth, 

 the scape and pedicel brownish-yellow, the flagellum fuscous, pubescent ; 

 the scape is subclavate, the flagellum, including the pedicel, is not longer 

 than the scape. Pronotum large, narrowed anteriorly, triangular ; 

 mesonotum a little longer than wide, with two deep parapsidal furrows ; 

 scutellum with two deep parallel furrows, the lateral lobes appearing as 

 if carinated ; metathorax subquadrate, smooth, shining, with a very 

 delicate or subobsolete medial keel, and the posterior lateral angles 

 lobately produced. Wings gradually narrowed at base, hyaline, pubes 

 cent, except a glabrous line extending from the base along the pos 

 terior margin to nearly two-thirds the length of the wing ; the sub- 

 marginal vein is distinctly shorter than the marginal vein and distinctly 

 fractured at its junction with the marginal; postmarginal not or scarcely 

 developed, never half the length of the very short, knobbed stigmal 

 vein. Legs brownish-yellow, very pubescent, all coxae and femora, 

 except the tips, black ; tibial spurs i, 2, 2, short and weak, the inner 

 spurs being scarcely discernible ; tarsi 4-jointed, much shorter than the 

 tibiae. Abdomen sessile, oblong-oval, a little longer than the head and 

 thorax together, and its widest portion being twice as wide as the thorax. 



The (^ is but i mm. long and differs from the female in the following 

 colorational and structural differences ; The head and legs are pale, 

 brownish-yellow, the scape reddish brown, dusky at tip, the thorax more 

 or less piceous at the sides. The head, when viewed from in front, is 

 transverse oval, being wider than long ; the eyes are almost obsolete, 

 being reduced to a single ocellus, while the ocelli are nearly in a straight 

 line. The antennae are 8-jointed ; the scape is very large, gradually and 

 broadly dilated toward the apex, with the sides curving under ; above it 

 is therefore convex while beneath it is concave with an apical process at 

 tip within ; the very short flagellum, which is not half the length of the 

 scape, issues apparently from the emargination formed by this process, 

 and is often peculiarly twisted backwards within the cavity ; the pedicel 

 and the first funicle joint are stout, about of an equal size, the three fol 

 lowing joints are not so wide as the first, but are exceeding short and 

 relatively thrice as wide as long, the club is stout and oblong, 3-jointed. 

 The wings are abbreviated and reach scarcely to the middle of the 

 abdomen. 



Described from several specimens in both sexes, reared Sep 

 tember 14 and 15, from cells of Chalybioncceruleum^ I/inn. Col 

 lected in Virginia. 



