THE CA.NADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 185 



CLASSIFICATIOxN OF THE FOSSORIAL. PREDACEOUS AND 



PARASrriC WASPS, OR THE SUPERFAMILY 



VESPOIDEA. 



BY WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD, ASSISTANT CURATOR, DIVISION OF INSECTS, 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



(Paper No. 2. — Continued from page 155.) 

 Subfamily I. — Pepsinte. 



To this subfamily belong the giants of the family, although many 

 species in it are of moderate or insignificant size. Here belong the 

 " Tarantula Killers, " or Pompilids, belonging to the genus Pepsis, large, 

 brilliantly-coloured species, often with fiery red wings, or blue or black 

 wings marked with white or red, etc., that prey upon the genuine 

 Tarantulas and other large species of spiders. 



The species belonging to this group are at once distinguished from 



all others, except the Ageniince, by the second venti-al segment in both 



sexes being traversed by a transverse grooved line, impression or 



emargination. This transverse grooved line, or emargination, is present 



in no other group, except in the females belonging to the Ageniinoe^ 



but these are readily distinguished by their smooth hind tibia?, which 



are always simple, without teeth or spines and without a longitudinal 



ridge. In the Pepsinse the hind tibicC in the females are most frequently 



toothed or serrate, as well as distinctly spinous ; but very rarely simple, 



without teeth or spines, but in the few genera without these characteristic 



features the hind tibiae have a longitudinal ridge or carina, not possessed 



by the Ageniitne. 



Table of Genera. 



Second cubital cell receiving the first recurrent nervure much be/ore 



the middle, or near its basal angle 2. 



Second cubital cell receiving the first recurrent nervure, at or beyo?id 



the middle, very rarely a little before the middle 3. 



2. Wings ample, extending far beyond the tip of the abdomen; second 



cubital cell larger than the third 



Hind tibicC in ? strongly serrated ; ocelli placed in an obtuse 



triangle ; mandibles bidentate j maxillte normal ; hind tibia? 



in ^ simple, not serrate, the tarsi compressed, flat, the basal 



joint usually curved or bent; fourth or fifth ventral segments 



with long brisdes, often in two groups ; claws with a tooth 



before middle (i) Pepsis, F'abr. 



(Type P. ruficornis, Fabr.) 



