'62 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February, 



arising from basal sides of postscutellum, the rather short points not 

 strongly curved; spine of medium length, narrow at the base, strongly 

 broadened to a thin emarginate tip. Metathorax above with fine oblique 

 carinae, reticulate at immediate base of spine; median space short and 

 broad, triangular, open above, smooth within, passing below into a long 

 carina: lateral faces finely sparsely punctate, with few indications of striae. 

 Abdomen ovate, rather finely closely punctate, not strongly constricted 

 between the segments, last two segments very coarsely punctured, the 

 last rectangular and truncate at tip; with three pairs of distinct lateral 

 spines. Color black; pubescence silvery, thick on face, sparse on rest 

 of body, that on face brown in certain lights; flagellum rufous beneath at 

 tips. Tubercles, tegulae, squamae, tip of spine and transverse spots on 

 sides of abdominal segments 1-5 (all narrow and widely separated), 

 whitish. Legs black; fore tibiae and tarsi rufous, all tibiae with a whitish 

 stripe outwardly; middle and hind tarsi with first joint whitish at base, 

 last joint rufous. Wings hyaline, nervures dark brown. Length 5-7 mm. 

 Fort Collins in August, on Solidago. This species belongs to 

 a group of this section of the genus, which contains but one 

 other species, cressonii. It is separated from that species, most 

 noticeably, by the strong scutellar carina, closely punctured ab- 

 domen, color of antennae and mandibles, and larger size. I have 

 dedicated this species to Prof. Cockerell, in recognition of his 

 successful labors in American Hymenopterology. 



-o- 



A NEW PARASITE. 



By H. ANDERSON LAFLER. 



During the past season I have studied, somewhat, our com- 

 monest " digger wasp" here (De Witt, Neb.) identified as Bei- 

 bex uubilipennis. This species digs burrows about 18 inches in 

 length in the dry, compact earth of roadways, paths and bare 

 places in suitable localities, which they provide with flies upon 

 which the egg is laid. 



A seemingly new fact in regard to this species or any of the 

 genus Bembicnm, is that this species is parasitized by a Tachina. 

 Of a large number of burrows which were dug into, all were 

 found to contain in the cavities in which was the larva of the 

 wasp, the larvae of a Tachina. There were from four to twelve 

 in each cavity. They were feeding on the provisions made by 

 the wasp for her own larva. In one instance no larva of the 

 -wasp or empty pupa case was found, but the cavity contained 



