WALSH DESCRIPTIONS OF N. AM. HYMENOPTERA. II5 



compressed appearance. Both these characters denote an affinity 

 with the Banchus group ; but the elongate intermediate joints of 

 the abdomen in most species, and the subobsolete abdominal tu- 

 bercles in others, show its relations to be rather with Ephialtes. 

 The fundamental difference between Lampronota and Ephi- 

 altes is that the terminal abdominal joints are here retracted in 

 both sexes, but much more so in $ than in % , and in the ? the 

 6th ventral is prolonged behind so as to form a ventral valve ex- 

 tending always to the tip of the abdomen and occasionally beyond 

 it. In both genera abdominal joints 2 and 3 are longer than wide, 

 with the exception of L. picliventris, n. sp., L. brcviventris, 

 n. sp., and L. nigrita, n. sp., but they are proportionally more 

 so in Ephialtes. In all my species of Lampronota the declivous 

 posterior surface of the metathorax is lunate and bounded by a 

 distinct carina, the lunate area being closed above, and not com- 

 municating, as in Ephialtes, with the elongate area enclosed by 

 the two normal longitudinal carinae. The claws are also simple ; 

 the areolet is rhomboidal and more or less petiolated, instead of 

 being, as in all my Ephialtes, rhomboido-triangular and sessile ; 

 and the 2d recurrent vein is more or less biangulated, instead of 

 forming a regular convex curve. The colors are black, or black 

 and rufous ; the abdomen often more or less rufous ; with the 

 head, the humeral suture, and the scutel, often marked with white. 

 The bullae are generally but three in number, B, CD, and E ; B 

 located well backwards on the cross-vein ; CD well forwards on 

 account of the salient angle of the second recurrent vein being 

 well forwards, and generally with a black dot placed at the 

 the apex of the angle and representing the typical stump of a 

 vein ; E further than usual from the angle of the first recurrent 

 vein, being generally rather nearer to the areolet than to the an- 

 gle, or at all events in the middle between the two. But in L. 

 breviventris, which, as will have been seen, is otherwise anoma- 

 lous, there are 4 distinct bullae, B, C, D, and E ; C and D being 

 here separated distinctly by a black space nearly twice as long as 

 the vein is wide, and the biangulation being subobsolete. In other 

 respects the bullae do not differ in this species. Judging from the 

 two species of which I possess numerous specimens, and the three 

 species of which I possess two only, the genus is pretty constant 

 both in size and coloration. In interpellata, n. sp., pictive?itris, 

 n. sp., and breviventris, n. sp., traces appear of the abdominal 



