354 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



abdomen the pubescence is black ; some hairs on bases of 

 anterior and middle tibiae at base, pale ochraceous ; hind 

 tibiae and exterior base of their tarsi with pale yellowish hair ; 

 on the second segment of abdomen a narrow basal line and an 

 oblique one on each side of middle, sometimes also on third, 

 of appressed pale pubescence; mandibles with a yellow stripe 

 at apex, flagellum beneath, except three basal joints, dull tes- 

 taceous. Length #, 10-13 mm. ; $, 12-14 mm. 



Carlinville, Illinois; 23 5, 9 $ specimens; Ga. (Smith). 



The female closely resembles M. desponsa. In M. desponsa 

 the pubescence above is short and pale, less abundant on first 

 segment of abdomen, no oblique fasciae on second segment, 

 four anterior legs with pubescence more entirely black, etc. 



The males agree so well with the description of M. ameri- 

 cana Lep., that, but for the hairs of the apex of the abdomen 

 and ventral surface being black, I would say it was the same 

 species. The third and fourth segments have a faint indica- 

 tion of a narrow fusco-ferruginous curved fascia. This may 

 become a synonym. 



The M. desponsa var., which Smith supposed to be the 

 female of M. americana, also indicates a close relationship 

 here. 



Melissodes agilis Cress. 



Melissodes agilis Cresson, Proc. Acad. Sci. Phil. 1878, 204, rf. 



Melissodes aurigenia Cresson, Proc. Acad. Sci. Phil. 1878, 212, ^9. 



Professor Cockerell has independently arrived at the con- 

 clusion that M. aurigenia is a synonym of M. agilis and 

 writes that Mr. Fox has compared the types and confirmed 

 that opinion. 



The female in fresh specimens often has the thorax quite 

 fulvous red. The male seldom approaches this, being usually 

 quite pale. I have 40 $, 41 $ specimens. 



Melissodes nivea Rob. 



Melissodes nivea Robertson, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. XXII, 127, $, 1895. 



£. This sex reproduces all of the ornaments of M. agilis 



<j, but the wings are whiter, the second submarginal cell 

 longer, the apical margins of abdominal segments white, the 

 pubescence entirely pure white, so that even in the field it 



