84 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, '03 



Melanostelis. 



The species described below seems to belong to melanostelis 

 Ashmead, although the characters of the apex of the abdomen 

 are very different from those of the male. It is related to 

 Stelis (?) nitida and S. (?) monticola of Cresson. 



MELANOSTELIS. (Fig. 2.) 



Melanostelis nyssonoides sp. nov. Female. Length 7 mm. Shining 

 black ; densely, coarsely punctured. Marked with light yellow as follows: 

 narrow anterior orbits from near base of mandibles to above antennae ; 

 spot above eyes near posterior margin of head ; two small lateral spots 

 on anterior edge of me'sothorax ; four widely separated elongate spots, 

 forming an interrupted sub-apical band on first segment of abdomen, the 

 lateral ones largest ; similar spots on second segment, but more elongate 

 on middle and smaller laterally ; four similarly placed subquadrate spots 

 on third segment ; fourth segment with two small lateral subapical spots. 



Forewing of Melanostelis nyssonoides sp. nov. 



Tibial spurs and spot on posterior tibiae externally at base also yellow. 

 Face rather densely clothed with moderately long white pubescence, 

 which becomes sparse above antennae and is nearly absent on vertex. 

 Cheeks and head behind eyes clothed like face. Mesothorax sparsely 

 white hairy, pleura densely so, under side of thorax densely, legs 

 sparsely. Abdomen with apical bands of stiff white hairs directed back- 

 wards and dilated into spots laterally on first five segments, more promi- 

 nent on basal segments. Ventral segments except last with apical bands 

 of stiff white hairs. Mandibles tridentate, the anterior tooth long acute, 

 others not very distinct ; black, banded with ferruginous near tip. Cly- 

 peus truncate, the hairs on its margin light golden. Antennas black at 

 base, slightly piceous at tip. Head very coarsely punctured, confluently 

 so in front of ocelli. Mesonotum and scutella somewhat less coarsely 

 punctured than head. Scutellum not armed. Tegulas black, rather 

 finely punctured ; meso-pleura very coarsely punctured, metapleura more 

 finely. Posterior face of metathorax brilliantly polished, with a few scat- 

 tered white hairs arid large punctures laterally. Base of first abdominal 

 segment also polished, concave and with scattered punctures. Abdomen 



