188 [January 



Genus MELISSA, Smith. 

 Melissa rufipes. Perty. 



Crocisa rufipes. Perty, Del. An. Art. p. 149, pi. 28, fig. 10. 

 Mesocheira azurea, St. Farg. et Serv. Encycl. Meth. x. p. 106. 

 Mesoplia azurea, St. Farg. Hym. ii, p. 280. 

 Melissa rufipes. Smith, Brit. Mus. Cat. ii, p. 280. 



Collection. — Ent. Soc. Philad. Two ( % 9 I) specimens. 



Prof. Poey informs me that this species " retires to a bush to sleep ; 

 it seizes a branch with its mandibles and places itself in a horizontal 

 position, the back turned towards the ground." 



Genus MELISSODES. Latr. 

 Melissodes Lanierii, Guer. 



Macrocera Lanierii Guer. Icon. Reg. Anim. iii, p. 455, pi. 74, fig. 7; LaSagra's 

 Hist. Cuba, Ins. p 780. 



Collection. — Ent. Soc. Philad. £; Dr. J. G-undlach, $. One 9. 



live % specimens. 



Melissodes maura. n. sp. 



Entirely deep black; abdomen shining, nearly naked: wings tinged with 

 fuscous. 



Female. — Robust, deep black ; head, thorax and base of abdomen 

 clothed with rather short, dense, black pubescence ; very finely and 

 closely punctured ; clypeus covered with dense, deep punctures, the 

 anterior margin truncate or very slightly concave ; antennae black, 

 the flagellum testaceous-brown beneath. Thorax : the punctures on 

 the disk of the mesothorax and metathorax rather sparse and scat- 

 tered; tegulas piceous. Wings pale fusco-hyaline, with a very faint 

 violaceous reflection, the apical margins darker ; nervures blackish ; 

 the first recurrent nervure received by the second submarginal cell be- 

 yond its middle, the second recurrent nervure received at the tip of the 

 third submarginal cell, which is as long as the first and rather suddenly 

 constricted towards the marginal cell. Legs black or piceous-black. 

 rather densely clothed with black pubescence, especially on the tibiae 

 and basal joint of the tarsi, much longer and more dense on the poste- 

 rior pair; tips of tarsi piceous. Abdomen broad, subconvex, shining, 

 very closely and minutely punctured, the apical margins of the seg- 

 ments smooth and polished; basal segment, the basal margins of the 

 other segments, the extreme sides and apex of the abdomen clothed 

 with black pubescence, very short and thin on the basal margins of the 

 second and following segments and much longer and more dense on the 

 basal segment; apical segment depressed on the disk, the tip slightly 

 notched ; venter deep black, densely punctured, the apical margins of 



