J. C. HUTSON 221 



SO as to be rouiicUy truncate at tip, black or blue l)lack for basal half, graduallj' 

 shading to pale Ijrown at distal end, with a groove along upper and lower mar- 

 gins, sometimes with fine hairs, and a strong groove at external basal end with 

 a few stout black hairs; there is also a row of short hairs on the inner face, but 

 these are usually hidden when the mandibles are closed. 



Thorax. — Neck may be slightly rugose with sparse punctures and small 

 hairs; collar narrower than remainder of thorax, sides almost vertical, laterally 

 compressed with a central depression ending dorsally in a deep fovea; the 

 anterior dorsal surface may form an acute angle with the posterior surface 

 making the lobes somewhat sharp, or it may slope gradually upwards making 

 these more rounded; median dorsal groove may be transversely striated; dorsal 

 surface, sides and episterna strong!}- punctured and covered with erect black 

 hairs intersi:)ersed with a fine brownish vestiture; prothoracic lobe with small 

 scattered punctures and hairs, posterior edge fringed with short delicate pale 

 browai hairs; mesonotum with a distinct median depression for its anterior half, 

 surface strongly and closely punctate and covered with somewhat erect black 

 hairs; scutellum also with median groove, but not so closeh' punctured as 

 mesonotum, postero-lateral margins of lateral depressions fringed with fine pale 

 brown to silvery hairs; postscutellum finely punctured in center, lateral exten- 

 sions fringed posteriorly with small light brown to whitish hairs; mesopleura 

 and mesosternum covered with strong punctures and coarse black hairs inter- 

 spersed with minute coppery hairs; metapleura and metapleural grooves some- 

 what sparsely punctate, the latter sometimes almost bare and shiny; median 

 segment with dorsal shield bounded by a linear V-sliaped depression and broadly 

 roimded at posterior margin, where there is a small but deep fovea; this depres- 

 sion may be transversely marked by ridges on each side Ijoth anterior and pos- 

 terior to the spiracle, but these raised lines usually end where the sides begin 

 to curve rovmd posteriorly; dorsum with a distinct median depression, rather 

 faint anteriorly where the shield has a gradual upward slope, surface of shield 

 usually with no markings other than rather small, often confluent punctures, 

 but may be rugose, hairs medium sized; sides and end usually with more dis- 

 tinct punctures, small at sides of shield, coarser at posterior end, pilosity to 

 correspond; petiole stouter at distal end before suddenly enlarging to size of 

 abdomen, punctures fine, hairs slender and rather scattered, fineh" sericeous 

 mainly in upper distal surface. 



Abdomen of medium size, somewhat ovate, shining, arched dorsal!}', flatter 

 ventrally, pointed l^ehind, almost the whole dorsal and ventral surfaces cov- 

 ered with minute dark decumbent hairs, giving the abdomen a dirty appear- 

 ance in certain lights without obscuring the body color; first three dorsal 

 segments without coarse pvmctures or stout hairs, last three with small 

 punctures and scattered hairs, a row of fine punctures along the hinder 

 margins of the first two of these segments, but the corresponding hairs 

 very rareh^ comj^lete; sixth or terminal dorsal segment with a grovip of 

 small i)unctures and hairs on each side nearest the anterior margin, but central 

 portion bare except for minute hairs; sixth or terminal ventral segment with a 

 narrow punctate strip on each dorsal flaj) sparsely covered with small hairs of 

 varj'ing sizes, ventral surface covered with fine hairs except for a bare median 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XLV. 



