(576 [Decembrr 



of vespoUhit 9 , but the form is less robust. Length 5 — 6 lines ; ex- 

 panse of wings 9 — 9 J lines. 



Male. — Black, slightly pubescent, somewhat shining ; head with the 

 orbits, continued within and beneath the sinus of the eyes, a large sub- 

 quadrate spot beneath the insertion of the antennae;, the clypeus. labrum 

 and the mandibles, pale yellowish-white ; clypeus shaped like that of 

 vespoides % , but more flattened and less deeply emarginate at tip ; 

 labrum pubescent ; antennfe rather longer than the head and thorax, 

 proportioned as in vespoides % . except that the club is not at all flat- 

 tened beneath ; the joints are pale yellowish-white above or rather ex- 

 teriorly, the two basal joints are more or less black above at base, the 

 fourth, fifth and sixth joints at tip beneath, and the whole of the re- 

 maining joints beneath are pale fulvous, the club above at tip, more or 

 less black, the five articulations of the club are closely soldered together, 

 the sutures indistinct. Thorax : the markings and coloration same as 

 in the 9 . Wings as in vespoides % . Legs colored as in the 9 , and 

 shaped as in vexpoides % , except that the anterior tarsi are scarcely 

 ciliated and the basal joint of the posterior tarsi is scarcely as long as 

 the four remaining joints together; the spurs of the posterior tibiae 

 are about equal in length, the outer one slender and very acute, the 

 inner one stout, acute and suddenly acuminate and bent at tip, but not 

 cleft as in the 9 ; the tarsal claws are simple, thickened at base, the 

 pulvilli small and blackish. Abdomen shaped Vike that of vespoides % ; 

 shining black ; all the segments except the terminal one, with a con- 

 tinuous pale lemon-yellow band ; those on the five basal segments more 

 or less emarginate on each side anteriorly ; the band on the sixth seg- 

 ment entire, except occasionally a slight notch on the anterior middle ; 

 apical segment black, polished, deeply bifid or forked at tip when viewed 

 I'rom above, when viewed in profile the tip is rather broad and obtusely 

 emarginate, the lower process being the shortest and stoutest, when 

 viewed endways the tip has a subtriangular shape, concave, more or less 

 lemon-yellow, with the lower process rather deeply emarginate ; venter 

 flattened, shining black, most of the segments with a lateral yellowish 

 spot ; the second segment with a more or less developed fold anteriorly, 

 obtusely emarginate on the middle ; on the disk of the third segment 

 there is a large, robust, well-developed process, obtuse at tip, but with 

 a short, stout, subacute spine posteriorly, similar to that of vespoides 



