HYMENOPTERA 97 



(29) Nesoprosopis blackburni. 



Prosopis b/ackbui'ni. Smith, J. Linn. Soc. xiv. p. 682. Blackburn and 

 Cameron, P. Manch. Soc. xxv. (1885-S6), p. 143. 



(Plate II. fig. 16—16^.) 



Male, with the whole face below the antennae bright yellow, which colouring 

 is continued upwards behind them rather broadly along the margins of the eyes ; 

 labrum, the mandibles more or less, the tubercles and all the tibiae and tarsi are 

 yellow, the tibiae generally with a testaceous stain or a black spot behind ; the scape 

 of the antennae has the front half of its upper surface yellow, and the flagellum 

 fulvous or even yellow beneath. Face subrotundate, the cheeks between the eyes 

 and mandibles very short ; scape of the antennae hardly dilated, twice or more than 

 twice as long as wide, the anterior margin widely but not deeply arched beneath ; 

 the plate above the clypeus is rather short but not wide : head above the antennae 

 hardly shining, shallowly punctured, very densely in the middle immediately behind 

 the antennae, with only a very short inconspicuous pale pubescence. Mesothorax 

 rather smooth, the surface rugulosity being exceedingly fine, very finely and evenly 

 punctured, and clothed with short pubescence ; scutellum slightly shining ; propodeum 

 with its anterior area more or less longitudinally rugose ; eighth ventral segment with 

 the process dilated, and bifurcate at the apex, the bifurcations fringed with long hairs. 



Female, with only the front of the anterior tibiae, and the under side of the 

 flagellum of the antennae pale. Head very little convex longitudinally, above the 

 antennae with only very short scanty pale pubescence, distinctly punctured, the surface 

 between the punctures somewhat shining, at least in certain aspects ; cheeks very 

 short ; mesothorax with very short pubescence, rather smooth but not shining, very 

 finely and evenly punctured ; scutellum shining, very finely but not very closely 

 punctured ; propodeum with the anterior area more or less longitudinally rugose in 

 front and subopaque ; legs and apex of the abdomen with pale hairs ; wings clear. 

 Length 5 — 675 mm. 



Hab. Maui, but only on the coast and lowlands ; common on the sandhills at 

 Wailuku and near the coast at Lahaina. 



The c/ is very distinct from any other species, the ? is very like some of the 

 following. This is the species described by Smith in his paper in J. Linn. Soc. 

 (xiv. pp. 674 — 685), the types being in the British Museum. Mr Blackburn clearly 

 had several quite distinct species before him, when he subsequently made some 

 remarks on what he supposed to be A", blackburni. (P. Manch. Soc. loc. cit.) 



V. F. H. '3 



