406 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 



FABT 3 



Polycyrtidea limitis Cushman 



Polycyrtidea limitis Cushman, 1929, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 74, art. 16, p. 52; 

 ?. Type: 9, Brownsville, Tex. (Washington). 



Front wing 4.8 to 6.2 mm. long. Head and mandible yellow, the 

 occiput and median part of frons and vertex black; thorax reddish 

 browTi to blackish, the upper and lower margins of pronotum broadly, 

 propleurum, a pair of dashes on middle of mesoscutum, tegula, subteg- 

 ular ridge, most of mesopleurum except marginally, metapleurum, 

 upper division of metapleurum, and apical 0.6 ± of propodeum except 

 at abdominal attaclmient, yellow; palpi yellow; antenna blackish 

 brown, the scape yellow in front and flagellum of female with a white 

 stripe above that covers about 5 segments; front and middle legs 

 fulvous, their coxae, trochanters, and under side of femora yellow, 

 their tarsi infuscate apically ; hind coxa yellow, with a large blackish to 

 reddish brown mark on its basal ventral part and a smaller one above 

 near its apex; hind first trochanter brown, yellow below; hind second 

 trochanter brownish, yellow basally below; hind femur and tibia 

 fulvous, the tibia brownish at base and apex; hind tarsus fuscous, the 

 apical 0.5 ± of first segment, all of second segment, and usually part 

 to all of third segment, white; abdomen fulvous, the basal 0.4 ± of 

 first segment, and apical band on all tergites yellow; second tergite 

 infuscate at base. 



In an earlier publication (1951, U.S. Dep. Agr., Agr. Monogr., No. 

 2, p. 273) this species was considered a synonym of P.Jlavopicta Ash- 

 mead, but according to specimens now at hand it is at least distin- 

 guishable. P. Jlavopicta differs from P. limitis in having a little less 

 yellow on the temple, and large dorsobasal and small apicoventral 

 yellow areas on the hind coxa, which are not connected. In P. limitis 

 aU yellow areas on the hind coxa are connected. The two forms are 

 allopatric, limitis being known from southern Texas to Costa Rica and 



Figure 223. — Localities for 

 Polycyrtidea limitis. 



