532 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 216 



apically; usually some thoracic sutures narrowly margined with black; 

 ovipositor sheath yellowish fulvous, a little darker basally, its apical 

 0.3 ± blackish. 



There are five subspecies described below, and probably others are 

 in Mexico. The subspecies are distinguished on color patterns, which 

 seem to have differentiated to conform to local mimicry patterns. 

 Thus the eastern subspecies (grallator), with blackish brown wings 

 and ferruginous body, conforms to one of the common color patterns 

 of the southeastern states, Trogus pennator, Tricyphus elegans vul- 

 pinus, Priocnessus nuperus, and Polistes rubiginosus being other 

 representatives of it. These species all occur in open woods or along 

 the edges of woods, and are close mimics. The subspecies ochreata 

 from Arizona has a striking color pattern which is shared with Polistes 

 canadensis navajoe, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis navajo, and Trogus 

 flavipennis. We found Labena grallator ochreata common in the Sierra 

 Ancha of Arizona in the spring of 1947, flying through open deciduous 

 woods at about one meter from the ground. The Polistes and 

 Mischocyttarus of the same color pattern were common at the same 

 time, and it was difficult to distinguish the three in flight. 



Besides the material listed under the several subspecies, we have 

 a specimen that seems intermediate between L. grallator grallator and 

 L. grallator balteata. It has the dark wing and ferruginous ground 

 color of the subspecies grallator and the tendency toward strong yellow 

 banding of the abdomen of the subspecies balteata. It is a female 

 from Cherry Canyon, Davis Mts., Texas, June 17, 1916, F. M. 

 Gaige (Ann Arbor). 



The subspecies are separated by the following key: 



1. Third and following tergites ferruginous, sometimes narrowly yellowish at 



apex; range: east of hundredth meridian . . la. grallator grallator (Say) 

 Third and following tergites mostly or entirely yellow; range: west of hun- 

 dredth meridian 2 



2. Third through sixth tergites yellow with the base broadly fulvous so that they 



have a banded appearance; wings subhy aline, the apex of front wing conspic- 

 uously darker; range: near Presidio, Texas. 



le. grallator balteata, new subspecies 



Third through sixth tergites yellow, the incisures darker; wings uniformly 



light brown to dark brown 3 



3. Propodeum, hind coxa, and all but apex of first tergite dark brown; wings 



dark brown; range: Arizona . . . lc. grallator ochreata, new subspecies 



Propodeum, hind coxa, and first tergite fulvous to yellow; wings light brown 



to medium brown 4 



4. Metapleurum and propodeum fulvous margined with black; range: New 



Mexico and Colorado lb. grallator xutha, new subspecies 



Metapleurum and propodeum yellow margined with fulvous; range: southern 

 California Id. grallator lutea, new subspecies 



