372 Dr. A. S. Packard, Jr's Revision of the 



abdomen is also longer than in Crabro. But in the neuration of the 

 wings arc excellent characters for separating the two genera, as the 

 small, short 2d median cell is very regular diamond shaped, and the 2d 

 submedian, of which the outer recurrent for side) is curved obliquely, 

 where in Crabro it is straight, or if slightly oblique, is always angu- 

 lated below its middle. 



The species vary much in coloration and sculpturing. B. <L-macu- 

 latus, of Europe, and B. maculipennis are spotted and banded with 

 yellow, much as in Crabro, but most of the species are black, almost 

 immaculate, such as the group of species of which B. minimus and 

 B. ater are types. 



It is difficult to say which is lowest of these two genera, Thyreopus 

 or the present one, but the greater mass of characters place Thyreopus 

 next to Crabro, and then should follow Blepharipus. The two groups 

 are in some respects parallel, though in a linear series we have to do 

 violence to their relative position in nature, and assign a subordinate 

 position to one or the other. 



The present genus, by the darker, smaller species, evidently leads to 

 Rhopalum. Blepharipus differs from those species of Thyreopus with 

 simple antennae and legs, by the flattened vertex, smooth, highly 

 polished enclosure of the propodeum, the longer clypeus and more 

 cylindrical abdomen. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



A. Species of large size, wings spotted. 



% 9- Fore femora tipped with yellow B. maculipennis, (Fab.) 



B. Species of diminutive size ; wings unspotted. 



9. Body stout — deep shining black B. ater, (Cress.) 



9. Tip of abdomen channeled; wings distinctly tes- 

 taceous B.impressifrons, (Smith.) 



"t, . Abdomen entirely black, anterior femora reddish 



and tipped with yellow B. scutellatus, (Say.) 



^ . Enclosure lineated, hind tibiae nearly all yellow, ab- 

 dominal rings obscurely testaceous B. Harrisii, Pack. 



% 9- Hind tibise black, ringed with whitish at base. 



9 tip not channeled B. minimus. Pack. 



Section A. 

 Blepharipus maculipennis. 



Bl. maculatus, St. Farg. and Brulle, Ann. Ent. Soc. France, iii. p. 7oU. 



(1834.) 

 Crabro maculatus, Dahlbom. Ilym. Eur. i. p. 344, 22(i. (1845.) 

 Crabro maculipennis, Smith, Cat. Ilym. Br. Mus. iv. p. 417. (1356.) 



£ 9 • Head much as usual, transverse, vertex as usual flattened 

 in front of the ocelli; clypeal region narrow, silvery; clypeus much 



