TUCKER: COLLECTING INSECTS. 93 



Family Asilid^. 



Tolmerus messs— continued. 



Front and face yellowish gray pollinose; gibbosity occupying more than 

 half of the face, clothed with long, pale yellow bristles, the upper 

 part bearing a few short black ones in most cases; all other bristles 

 of front, occiput, and orbits, and hair of cheeks, fore and middle coxse, 

 pale yellow. Antennas black, third joint longer than first and second 

 joints together, terminal bristle less than half its length. The first 

 and second antennal joints are clothed with short grayish hair, which 

 is very scanty on the second. Vertex narrow, but little wider than 

 length of first antennal joint, deeply excavated. Dorsum of thorax 

 marked with the two usual median black stripes, very slightly and 

 faintly separated, and two cloudy spots on each side. The dorsum 

 bears strong yellow bristles, laterally and posteriorly; a few on the 

 middle area black. Scutellum with two yellow bristles curved upward 

 and forward from posterior margin. The greater portion of thorax 

 and abdomen is grayish opaque pollinose. Apical margins of abdominal 

 segments are narrowly luteous. Male genitalia prominent, almost 

 straight, if not a little tapering in outline, wholly reddish, together 

 with ventral plates. Oviduct of females piceous, excepting under side 

 of base, which is reddish. Halteres brown. 

 Femora entirely black ; tibiae and metatarsi red, infuscated towards 

 apices, remaining tarsal joints piceous, excepting basal connections, 

 which are red. Wings hyaline, very faintly clouded on apical portion. 

 Auxiliary and first longitudinal veins entirely, and other veins at base 

 of wing, bright yellow. Greatest length of male, 10 mm. ; of female, 

 12.5 mm. 



Tolmerus prairiensis, new species. Kansas, Sedgwick county; August, col- 

 lected on prairie. Type: One female specimen in collection' of the 

 University of Kansas. For the Kansas list. 

 Front and face bright yellow pollinose, gibbosity occupying more than 

 half of the face, middle part clothed with long yellow bristles, per- 

 haps not more than two black ones, which are quite short, on upper 

 part. Antennae black excepting extreme apex of second and base of 

 third joints, which portions are tinged with red, first joint clothed 

 with both black and gray hair, second joint with short black hair, 

 third joint a little longer than the first two together, terminal bristle 

 about half as long as the third joint. A short row of white bristles 

 extend upward on each side of front from insertions of antennas. All 

 bristles on the occiput and orbits, and hairs on the cheeks, fore and 

 middle coxae, pale yellow. General color of the thorax and abdomen 

 grayish opaque pollinose, the two median black stripes on the dorsum 

 of thorax indistinctly separated, and the two lateral dark spots, one 

 on each side, are somewhat blended into the stripes, . probably due 

 largely to discoloration. The dorsum of thorax bears long bristles 

 sparsely placed, yellow on the sides and posterior region, black on the 

 middle area. Scutellum with two yellow bristles curved upward and 

 forward from posterior margin. Apical margin of each abdominal 

 segment reddish to a rather wide extent, oviduct shining piceous 

 tinged with red, its lateral compressions slightly spread apart on 

 under edge. - 



