ART. 5 GEXERIC REVISION OF THE FOSSORIAL WASPS PARKER 123 



Bemhex spitwlae Handlirsch, Sitz. Akad. Wissensch. V/ien, Math. -Nat. CI., 

 vol. 102, 1893. p. 285.— Fox. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.. ISD.l, p. 357.— 

 Dalla Torre, Cat. Hym.. vol. 8. 1897. p. 514. 



licmlyix spinolae Parker, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. vol. 52, 1917, p. 9S. 



This is the most widely distributed species of the <renns in Xoi-th 

 America. This .species, siniiJans Fox, pnniaaestate Johnson and 

 Rohwer, cameroni Rohwer, and cantata Parker form a group of ovei- 

 lapping species that pre.^ent considerable difficulty to the student 

 of the taxonomy of these wasps. Typical specimens of these species 

 can readily be distinguished from each of the other species, but 

 it IS by no mean.s an uncommon occurrence to find specimens that 

 may be referred to two or more of these species and can not with 

 certainty be referred to any one of them. This state of affairs 

 raise's the question of the validity of some of these species, but it is 

 a que.'ition that must depend for an answer upon more work in the 

 field: it is a question that can not be answered by an examination of 

 dried specimens stuck on pins. 



Bemhix spinolae occurs in the eastern part of the United States 

 and Canada and has been reported in the eavst from Ontario to 

 Florida and in the west from the Dakotas to Texas. With the ex- 

 ception of one report of mnilans from Florida, all the other species 

 in this group are found in the mountainous western part of the 

 country or on the west coast. I have, however, examined specimens 

 from the western area, taken along with typical examples of comata 

 and priinaaestate^ that must be considered examples of spinolae. I 

 have examined other specimens also from the West that could not 

 with certaint}^, in the light of our present knowledge of this group, 

 be referred to any one of these species. A short study of the nest- 

 ing habits of B. comata Parker, which I made at San Francisco 

 during the summer of 1925, showed that this species differs in its 

 mode of constructing its nest from B. spinolae Lepeletier, whose 

 nesting habits I have studied in the District of Columbia. I am 

 of the opinion that further studies of this kind in the field must be 

 made before the relationship of the species in this group and the 

 validity of the species themselves can be satisfactorily determined. 



BEMBIX CAMERONI Rohwer 



Bemhyx cameroni Rohwer, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mu.s., vol. 41, 1912, p. 467. 

 Bemhix cameroni Parker, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 52, 1917, p. 99. 



This species is somewhat more robust than spinolae and is also 

 marked with maculations of much richer yellow. The males can be 

 distinguished from the males of closely related species by the fact 

 that the fifth segment of the flagellum is spinose. The females may 

 be distinguished from those of related species by the broad yellow 



b 



