WASP GENUS CERCERIS — SCULLEN 425 



Prey records. — None. 



Plant records. — Ceanothus amencanus (New Jersey Tea), Ilex 

 opaca, mango trees, avocado (Florida). 



33. Cerceris mandibularis Patton 



Figures 43, 135a,b,c 



Cerceris mandibularis Patton, 1880, p. 403. — Cresson, 1887, p. 282. — Schletterer, 

 1887, p. 496.— Dalla Torre, 1897, p. 467.— Ashmead, 1899, p. 295.— Banks, 

 1912, p. 17.— Mickel, 1918, p. 447.— Cartwright, 1931, pp. 269-270.— 

 ScuUen, 1951, p. 1009. 



Female. — Length 1 1 mm. Black with yellow markings, punctation 

 somewhat widely separated and shallow, pubescence short and 

 silvery. 



Head subequal in width to the thorax; black except for most of the 

 face below the antennal scrobes, base of mandibles, and scape, all of 

 which are yellow; lower clypeal area and margin dark amber; margin 

 of medial lobe slightly extended with two lateral denticles, between 

 which is a broad extension; clypeal process broad and lunar shaped 

 with a short but broad uniform lamination attached to the margin; 

 mandibles with a broad expansion on the inner edge, the margin of 

 which shows three indistinct denticles; antennae normal in form. 



Thorax black except for two widely separated narrow patches on 

 the prothorax, two small patches on the scutellum, and the tegulae, 

 all of which are yellow; tegulae smooth and not elevated; enclosure 

 with a central groove and ridged at a 45° angle; mesosternal tubercles 

 absent; legs dark basally, gradually becoming light amber to yellow 

 apically; wings subhyaline. 



Abdomen: tergum 1 with a small divided patch of yellow; tergum 2 

 with a broad deeply emarginate band on the posterior half; terga 3, 4, 

 and 5 with narrow emarginate bands on the posterior margin; tergum 6 

 black; venter black; pygidium oval with the apical part somewhat 

 narrowed and both ends rounded. 



Male. — Unknown. 



Type. — As the original type of Cerceris mandibularis Patton has 

 apparently been lost, a neotype has been designated. Taken at 

 Glenside, Pa., July 5, 1905 (G. M. Green), it is deposited at the U.S. 

 National Museum. 



The neotype selected is 2 mm. longer than the indicated length in 

 the original description of the species and has more yellow. Struc- 

 turally it agrees with the original description and is representative of 

 the species as recognized by later workers (Cresson and Banks). 

 The male has never been identified. It is doubtless close to the males 

 of related species, with which it probably has been confused. The 

 female of mandibularis Patton closely resembles such related species as 



