246 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 



ovipositor straight, with a weak swelling just beyond the middle, 

 tapered gradually from this swelling to the apex (fig. 332, i). 



As defined above, the genus Polysphincta includes the six Nearctic 

 species described below (one of which is Holarctic), an undescribed 

 species from the Philippines, Epimecis thoracicus Cresson 1874 from 

 Mexico, two undescribed Neotropic species, and the European 

 Polysphincta rufipes Gravenhorst 1829, and Polysphincta boops Tschek 

 1868. There are doubtless others, but these are all of the true 

 Polysphincta that we have been able to study. The European P. 

 rufipes is closely related to P. burgessii, P. thoracica and the two 

 undescribed Neotropic species are related to P. eboripes, and the 

 Philippine species is an isolated one, perhaps nearest to P. limata.. 



Polysphincta drewseni Holmgren 1860 is a synonym of P. rufipes 

 and Polysphincta taschenbergi Woldstedt 1876 is a synonym of P. tuber- 

 osa (new synonymies). We have seen the types of drewseni and of 

 taschenbergi, but the part of the Gravenhorst collection containing the 

 types of tuberosa and rufipes was lost during World War II. We 

 apply these last two names according to the original descriptions and 

 European tradition. 



Key to the Nearctic species of Polysphincta 



1. Abdomen mostly fulvous 6. albipes Cresson 



Abdomen entirely black 2 



2. Submetapleural carina present and complete 3 



Submetapleural carina entirely absent, or in P. tuberosa sometimes present as 

 a faint vestige 4 



3. Hair on mesoscutum moderately dense and evenly distributed; propodeum 



strongly mat at its midlength; mesosternum and lower half of mesopleurum 

 usually fulvous, the rest of mesopleurum usually black. 



1. burgessii Cresson 

 Hair on mesoscutum rather sparse and not evenly distributed; central part of 

 the lateral lobe of mesoscutum usually without hairs or with very few; 

 propodeum weakly or not at all mat at its midlength; mesosternum and lower 

 half of mesopleurum black, or if more or less fulvous then the upper part of 

 mesopleurum also more or less fulvous 2. limata Cresson 



4. Mesoscutum with moderately dense hairs that are evenly distributed; meso- 



scutum of female usually entirely black; pronotum in profile without a 

 distinct tubercle below front end of mesoscutum. 



3. tuberosa Gravenhorst 



Mesoscutum with a few scattered hairs but mostly hairless; mesoscutum 



largely or entirely fulvous; pronotum in profile with a forward-projecting 



tubercle below front end of mesoscutum 5 



5. Femora mostly fulvous; hind tibia infuscate at apex below; metapleurum disc- 



ally with sparse hairs 4. koebelei Howard 



Femora entirely whitish; hind tibia not infuscate at apex; metapleurum discally 

 bare or sometimes with a few hairs 5. eboripes, new species 



