THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY 

 SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



Vol. VIII, No. 4] JULY, 1913. [voT"^^!frC4. 



The Larrid^ of Kansas. 



BY FRANCIS X. WILLIAMS. 



(Submitted in purti-Tl fultilliiient of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at 

 the University of Kansas.) 



Plates XXII to XXX. 



Introduction. 



THIS paper is the result of about two years of study on 

 that group of insect-catching wasps known as the Lar- 

 ridae. The work done embraces the field observations 

 and collections of three consecutive summers (1910-'12), spent 

 chiefly in the western portion of Kansas ; a large amount of 

 laboratory work at the University; and a trip to the United 

 States National Museum and Philadelphia Academy of 

 Sciences during the winter of 1912-'13. 



It may be here stated that the Larridae belong to the order 

 Hymenoptera, and constitute one of the families of a large 

 series of wasps known as the Fossores, or digger ivasps, so 

 named because of their habit of excavating burrows in the 

 earth. The Fossores in turn are included in and form the 

 largest portion of that great assemblage, the solitary ivasps. 

 These are distinguished from their social brethren by having 

 the species represented only by the male and the fully devel- 

 oped female, whereas the latter group possesses three castes or 

 forms — males, egg-laying females, and undeveloped females, 

 or workers. Furthermore, each female solitary wasp con- 

 structs and uses her own nest, unless parasitic, while social 

 wasps have one common abode, and are therefore of communal 

 habit. 



(121) 



