J. H. MERRILL 137 



The dates of capture of specimens seen, range from June 2 

 to September 25. 



The male of M. greenei differs from the female (jreenei in the 

 same respects as found in lunator, although the color markings 

 more closely resemble each other in the two sexes than in lunator. 

 It may be distinguished from the male of lunator by the absence 

 of the clouded spots in the wing. 



Megarhyssa nitida (Cresson) 



Rhyssa nitida Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., iii, p. 319, d^ . 



Type. — There is one type specimen from Virginia, in the 

 collection of the American Entomological Society of Philadelphia. 



The male of this species is about half an inch long. The head is black. 

 The antennae are dark, the scape is yellowish-white beneath, and the flagellum 

 becomes lighter towards its tip. The mandibles are black but the palpi are 

 yellowish-white. The clypeus is yellowish-white and this color extends 

 upwards over the face, spreading to the compound eyes; to the base of the in- 

 sertion of the antennae where it is interrupted, and sometimes to the vertex, 

 as two yellowish-white bands margining the compound eyes. Behind the 

 compound eyes are yellowish white bands, stopping just short of the mandibles 

 and the vertex. The thorax is black. Beginning at the tegula a triangular 

 shaped white band, which later becomes reduced to a line, passes forward 

 along the upper border of the prothorax nearly to its middle line. A white 

 streak appears just above the procoxa. The prescutum and mesonotum are 

 black, the latter with a pair of fine longitudinal A-ellowish-white lines near 

 its center. The center of the mesoscutellum has a large yellowish-white 

 spot on it, nearly divided at its front margin by a dark one. The posterior 

 margin of the entire plate has a narrow white line. On the metascutellum 

 (postscutellum) is an oblong white spot. The rear margin of the plate bears 

 a yellowish-white line. The tegulae and a raised spot beneath the fore wing 

 are yellowish-white. The metapleurae are pale rufous. The wings are hyaline, 

 iridescent, with fuscous nervures which are pale at their base. The stigma 

 is fuscous except its base, which is pale. The areolet is small and petiolated. 

 The anterior legs are yellowish-white, on the outer side of the tibiae are slightly 

 darker markings. The extremities of the tarsal segments are darker than 

 their bases and the claws are dark. The middle coxae are pale rufous, the 

 trochanters, femora, tibiae, and tarsi are yellowish-white. The tip and a 

 spot at the base of the femora are dark. The extremities of the tarsal claws 

 are much darker than in the anterior legs, the last four segments being almost 

 completely dark, as are the tarsal claws. The posterior coxae aie i^ale rufous, 

 the trochanters are yellowish-white, with their extremities dark. The femora 

 are rufous with a dark spot on their outer extremities. The tibiae are lighter 

 but each has a dark spot on its extremity, and another fainter one near its 

 base. The first two tarsal segments are yellowish-white, their tips dark, the 

 third, fourth, and fifth are dark, the claws are rufous. The abdomen is black 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XLI. 



