390 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. lie 



20. Cerceris neahminax, new species 



Figures 24, 123a,b,c 



Female. — Length 8 mm. Color black and creamy yellow; normally 

 pitted ; clothed with short silvery hairs. 



Head slightly wider than the thorax, mandibles with two centrally 

 located subequal denticles, black except for sides of face, spot on 

 center of front, and the clypeus, which are creamy yellow; clypeal 

 border slightly extended centrally without denticles; clypeal process 

 in the form of a short, thin ridge with the border approximately 

 straight, half the width of the border extension and with a dark amber 

 border; antennae normal in form, scape creamy yellow, peduncle dark 

 amber, flagellum light amber below and dark amber above. 



Thorax black except for two elongate patches on the pronotum, the 

 metanotum, and the tegulae, which are creamy yellow; tegulae smooth 

 and not elevated; enclosure smooth except for a central groove and 

 pitted lateral borders; mesosternal tubercles absent; legs black except 

 foretibiae, foretarsi, midtrochanter, midtibiae, midtarsi, hindtro- 

 chanter, and basal ends of hindtibiae, which are creamy yellow; wings 

 subhyaline except for a clouded area at the apex and the stigma, 

 which is dark amber. 



Abdomen black except for a small elongate patch on tergum 1, 

 narrow bands on terga 2 to 5, and lateral patches on sternites 3 and 

 4, which are creamy yellow; pygidium suboval with the basal end 

 narrowed to a point and the apical end rounded. 



Male. — Unknown. It is probably close to the male of C. 

 acanthophila Cocker ell. 



C neahminax ScuUen is very close to C. acanthophila Cockerell, 

 from which it may be separated by the following characters: 



acanthophila neahminax 



pygidium: pyriform oval 



mesosternal tubercle: small, black absent 



mid- and hindfemora: yellow apically black, immaculate 



mid- and hindtrochanter: black cream 



clypeal process: subequal in width to about half the width of 



clypeal border ex- the clypeal extension 



tension 



clypeal border extension: margin sinuate margin not sinuate 



Types. — The type female from Sante Fe, N. Mex., June 11, 1935 

 (E. C. Van Dyke), is at the California Academy of Sciences. Paratypes 

 are as follows: 



Arizona: 9, Ashfork, July 22, 1932 (R. H. Painter); 9, Chiricahua Mts., 

 July 27, 1957 (D. J. and J. N. KnuU). New Mexico: 9, Mountain Park, 

 June 27, 1940 (L. C. Kuitert). Utah: 9 , Fool Creek Pass, Aug. 17, 1938 (G. F. 

 Knowlton, F. C. Ilermston). 



