AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA, 87 



A. Bodrj black, blue or purple. 

 (From the United States.) 



1. Pompilus philadelphicus. 



Pompihis philadelphicus, St. Farg., Hyin. iii, p. 421^. 



Female. — Large, robust, velvety black, with a deep blue, violet or 

 purple reflection; anterior margin of the clypeus obtusely emarginate 

 in the middle; posterior margin of the prothorax angular ; uietathorax 

 smooth and rounded, slightly flattened posteriorly, with a more or less 

 distinctly impressed, longitudinal, medial line ; legs with numerous 

 short spines, more abundant on the tarsi, the anterior tarsi ciliated with, 

 short spines, the posterior tarsi sparsely spinose ; wings deep violace- 

 ous-black, sometimes fuscous, with a beautiful violet or purple reflec- 

 tion ; marginal cell lanceolate, long, the apex oblique, acute ; second 

 submaro;inal cell loD";er than the third, which is much narrowed to- 

 wards the marginal ; abdomen obiong-ovate, convex, apex pilose. 

 Length 9 — 11 lines. 



Male. — Resembles the female in color, bat smaller, the form nar- 

 rower, the clypeus not emarginate, the marginal cell broader and 

 shorter, the second* submarginal cell shorter, and the legs much less 

 spinose. 



Hah. — Delaware, (Coll. Am. Ent. Soc); Connecticut, Louisiana, 

 (Coll. Mr. E. Norton). 



Thirteen 9 1 two S specimens. Grenerally larger than sethiops, 

 from which it diff"ers by the uniform bluish or purple reflection of the 

 body, and by the angular posterior margin of the ^irothorax. 



Mr. Smith (Brit. Aim Cat. Hijm. iii, p. 160) has erroneously placed 

 this species as synonymous with F. nchnlosus Dahlb., which is a very 

 different insect, belonging to the sub-genus Friocnemis. 



2. Pompilus aethiops. 



Pompilu.<i athiops, Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil, iv, p. 451. 



Hab.—n. I., Conn., N. Y., Penna., Del., Md., Ills., Colorado Terr., 

 (Coll. Am. Ent. Soc, and Mr. E. Norton). 



Forty-four $ , seventeen % specimens. This common srecies is less 

 robust and generally smaller than pliiladelphtcus., which it closely re- 

 sembles ; but may be at once separated by the posterior margin of the 

 prothorax being arcuated and not at all angular. The anterior margin 

 of the clypeus is very deeply emarginate in the middle and the sides 

 broadly rounded. 



Three 9 specimens from Delaware, and one from Pennsylvania, 

 vary in the paler color of the wings, which are fuscous, with a beauti- 

 ful purple reflection, instead of violaceous-black. 



