AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 



229 



On NOine l'n«le<«<>ribe«l Aiiifric*»ii ll.yiiieiioptera chiefly 

 from the J^oulhweMt of the United Ktate^. 



BY P. CAMERON. 



I am indebted to Prof. Carl F. Baker for most of the species 

 described in this paper. 



VESPID^. 

 Folistes versicolor Fab. 



Prof. Baker has a $ from Rio Branco, Obidos, Brazil, which 

 agrees very well with Saussure's figuie of his Var. D on PI. VIII, 

 f. 6, Vespides, ii. It is 18 mm. long. More variegated varieties 

 (like that figured by Saussure on PI. VII, f. 5, have been taken by 

 Prof. Baker at Fedor, Texas, and Oslar, Patagonia Mountains, 

 Arizona. I have a 9 from Mexico, which agrees with Saussure's 

 figure of P. instabiiis Sauss. on PI. XI, f. 1. I am, however, 

 unable to separate it from versicolor type, beyond the fact that the 

 pleurge and sternum are black ; but this, however, is the case with 

 the Yar. D oi' versicolor mentioned above. At present my opinion 

 is that instabiiis is only a form of versicolor, the latter being a most 

 variable species as regards coloration ; indeed, it is diflicult to get 

 two specimens colored alike. P. instabiiis is not mentioned by 

 recent writers on Vespidte, e. g. Schulz and Ducke. 



Polii^tes flavus Cresson. 

 This species (described in Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, 1868, p. 383) 

 has been taken by Prof. Baker at Oslar, Negales, Arizona, and 

 Tempe, Arizona. There is a female which is 24 mm. in length and 

 two smaller specimens (probably workers) from 16 to 18 mm. The 

 amount of fulvous color varies. In one example the mesonotum is 

 rufous, with two yellow lines, united by a broader one at their apex, 

 in its centre, there being also a yellow mark at the tegulie. It is 

 related to carnifex : the difference in the form of the clypeus sepa- 

 rates the two : in carnifex it is distinctly longer than its greatest 

 width, the part below the eyes being fully twice the length of the 

 upper, oblique part; \u Jiavus the clypeus is not much longer than 

 broad, the lower part not being twice longer than the upper ; the 

 wings, too, are darker colored. 



TBANE. AM. ENT. SOC. XXXIV. JULY, 1908. 



