WASP GENUS CERCERIS — SCULLEN 379 



Abdomen with deeply emarginate bands of yellow on terga 1 to 5, 

 wider on tergum 3; venter immaculate; pj^gidium oval with both 

 ends rounded, the basal end more acute. 



Male. — Length 6 to 7 mm. Color black and yellow, closely and 

 deeply pitted, clothed with very short silvery hairs. 



Head about one-fifth wider than the thorax; black except for the 

 face, which is yellow; clypeal border with three subequal, centrally 

 located denticles; mandibles smooth; antennae normal in form, scape 

 yellow, peduncle dark amber and fiagellum light amber below, dark 

 above. 



Thorax black except for elongate patches on the pronotum, two 

 patches on the scutellum, the metanotum, small spots on the pleuron 

 below the wing bases and the tegulae, aU of which are yellow; tegulae 

 elevated and pitted; enclosure deeply rugose transversely; mesopleural 

 tubercle absent ; legs dark amber basally to the middle of the femora 

 or a little beyond, yellow beyond, becoming light amber on the 

 tarsi; wings subhy aline. 



Abdomen black except for a patch on the first tergum, broad band 

 on tergum 2, narrow bands on terga 3 to 6 emarginate, which are 

 yellow; venter dark amber with a tendency for yellow spots to appear 

 laterally on sternites 3 to 5; pygidium oval Avith the basal end rounded, 

 apical end more truncate. 



Types. — The type female of C.finitima Cresson, from Illinois (Dr. 

 Lewis), is at the Pliiladelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, no. 1948. 

 The type male of C.Jinitima var. nigroris Banks, from Falls Church, 

 Va., is at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 

 no. 13768. 



The writer does not consider the variety nigroris Banks distinctive 

 enough to recognize it as a subspecies. 



Distribution. — Widely distributed throughout the states east of 

 the Kocky Mountains except in New England. It ranges from 

 southern Canada to the Mexican border. It is found also in Cali- 

 fornia, from Davis south, and into Arizona and New Mexico. 



Prey record. — Chaetocnema pulicaria, a flea beetle (Chrysomeli- 

 dae), Columbus, Ohio (Strandtmann, 1945, p. 312). 



Plant record. — Acacia sp. (Texas), Asclepias sp. (Arizona, 

 Nebraska, New Mexico), Aster sp. (Kansas), Bijora americana (Texas), 

 Cassia sp. (Texas), celery (Utah), Cleome serrulata (Nebraska), clover 

 (Illinois), cowpeas (Arkansas), Croton calij'ornicus (California), Daucus 

 carota (Ohio), Dichro phyllum (Colorado), Erigeron quercijolius 

 (Florida), Grindelia sp. (South Dakota), Orindelia squarrosa (Utah), 

 Helianthus pumilus (Colorsido) , Kuhnistera oligophylla (North Dakota), 

 Melilotus alba (Nebraska), Monarda citriodora (Texas), pea vine 

 (Ohio), Polygonum auberti (California), Sambucus canadensis (Ohio), 



