216 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 



Collection dates are from rather late spring to fall. The earlier 

 and later dates are: May 24 at Pittsburgh, Pa.; May 31 at Ithaca, 

 N. Y.; September 15 and 19 at Cleveland, Ohio; and September 21 

 at Puritas Springs, Ohio. Since this is an introduced species, the 

 earliest year date on American specimens is of interest. This is borne 

 by a female collected by F. D. De Gant, "on dead twig of rose," 

 Cleveland, Ohio., Sept. 13, 1931. There are also two males and 

 five females reared or collected by F. D. De Gant in 1934, at Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, and at Puritas Springs, Ohio. 



Rearing records on the specimens studied are: 2d\ reared from 

 nest of Pemphredonini in stem of Rosa, Jan. 5, 1934, Cleveland, Ohio. 

 9, taken dead from nest in twig of sumac (Rhus), October 1938, 

 W. G. Bodenstein. d\ reared, Feb. 10, 1933, F. De Gant. 7 c? , 89, 

 reared from Pemphredon unicolor, Reuil, France, June 1955, H. 

 Janvier. 9, reared from Pyrausta nubilalis?, Seine, France, P. 

 Chretien. 



This species is European, but was introduced into northeastern 

 United States prior to 1931. It is adult through the growing season. 

 Pemphredon spp. nesting in pithy stems serve as hosts. 



2. Tribe Polysphinctini 



Figures 292,b— 297,b 



Front wing 2.3 to 18 mm. long; clypeus more or less swollen, 

 usually transverse, its apex often a little flattened or impressed, the 

 median 0.35 ± of its apical margin truncate, often a little reflexed; 

 mesoscutum smooth, usually strongly trilobed by reason of having 

 prominent notauli; prepectal carina present except in Hymenoepi- 

 mecis; mesopleural suture with a weak angle just above the middle; 

 propodeal carinae varying from entirely absent to all present except 

 the basal transverse carina; last segment of tarsus enlarged (especially 

 in female) a little wider than the basitarsal segment; tarsal claws 

 of male rather large and strongly curved, simple; tarsal claws of female 

 short, and with a very large, broad basal tooth; tarsal claws without 

 an enlarged hair with a flattened tip; empodium very large; areolet 

 absent except in Laufeia; nervellus not broken or broken below the 

 middle; first tergite free from its sternite, its lateral carina usually 

 strong; subgenital plate of male transverse, its apex usually truncate 

 or retuse; last tergite of female without an apical horn or boss; 

 ovipositor rather short or sometimes hardly surpassing tip of abdo- 

 men, with a submedian ventral swelling from whence it is tapered 

 to the apex. 



The Polysphinctini are distinguished from the Pimplini by the 

 absence of the areolet, the enlarged fifth segment of the tarsi with 

 short claws and enlarged empodium, and the relatively short ovi- 



