84 COLORATION IN POLISTES. 



and the tegulse more or less yellow ; metatliorax with a shallow median groove, 

 transversely striated ; sometimes the mesothorax has two short discal lines. Abdo- 

 men strongly pale golden sericeous, rather broad apical margin of all the segments, 

 except the last, even on the first segment and more or less strongly sinuate ante- 

 riorly on the remaining segments, an angular mark on each side of the first segment 

 sometimes reduced to a dot, and a spot on each side of the remaining segments, 

 larger on second and sometimes nearly confluent with the apical band, all yellow ; 

 all the apical bands slightly interrupted or indented medially by a slender ferru- 

 ginous line ; venter ferruginous, more or less varied with yellowish ; sometimes 

 the yellowish markings on the second and following segments are more or less 

 obscure ; anterior coxse beneath, a line on the outside of the four posterior coxae, 

 four anterior femora beneath except base, tips of all the femora and outside of all 

 the tibse and base of tarsi more or less yellowish, tips of tarsi fuscous. Wings yel- 

 lowish fuscous, darker along the costa. Length 21 mm. 



Male.—Q.\os€\j resembles the female ; the face flat as usual, whitish yellow, this 

 color extending above the antennae and on a line with the emargination of the 

 eyes ; clypeus flat ; prothorax sometimes broadly yellowish laterally ; mesothorax 

 occasionally with two short discal yellow lines; the markings of the abdomen 

 vary considerably, being sometimes very distinct, with the apical bands broad and 

 lemon yellow and the lateral spots round and whitish ; sometimes the apical bands 

 are narrow and the lateral spots wanting, except on the second segment ; some- 

 times the first segment has no lateral spot. 



Hab. — Texas. 



P. bellicosus Cress. 



Male and female.-— Vniiorml J dull ferruginous, subsericeous. 



Female.— Clypeus, sides of face, a transverse line above the antennae, posterior 

 orbits broader beneath, and the mandibles yellow ; clypeus subconvex and sparsely 

 punctured ; tegulse, a line on the outer side of all the coxae, knees and four ante- 

 rior tibi£e and tarsi beneath, the narrow apical margin of the abdominal segments 

 more or less sinuate anteriorly, and sometimes a spot on each side of the first and 

 second segments, all lemon yellow ; mesothorax generally with a fine central 

 longitudinal black line ; metathorax finely and transversely wrinkled. Wings 

 fuscous, or fusco-hyaline, yellowish along costa, subviolaceous. 



jlfale —Clypeus, face as far up and on a line with the emargination of the eyes, 

 narrow posterior orbits broader beneath, and mandibles yellow ; clypeus flat ; 

 antennse long, pale beneath, dark above, scape yellowish beneath ; margins of 

 prothorax, basal margin of scutellum, postscutellum, two longitudinal lines on 

 disc of metathorax, sometimes a lateral spot beneath tegulse, space between four 

 anterior coxae, coxae beneath, all lemon yellow. Length 18 mm. 



//ad.— Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Texas. 



P. variatus Cress. 



Female.— Strojig\y sericeous, black ; a transverse, subangular line above antennae ; 

 posterior orbits broader beneath, and mandibles, except tips, yellow ; clypeus sub- 

 convex, sparsely punctured, ferruginous, more or less broadly yellow at apex ; 

 cheeks sometimes ferruginous ; antenUcE ferruginous, black above ; prothorax 

 ferruginous, black on extreme lateral corner and narrowly margined anteriorly 

 and posteriorly with yellow ; mesothorax and pleura, except yellow spot beneath 

 tegulae, entirely black; scutellum and postscutellum ferruginous, margined at 

 base with yellow ; metathorax black, with four longitudinal yellow stripes, the 

 lateral one sometimes slightly undulate, disc longitudinally sulcate and finely 



