WASP GENUS CERCERIS — SCULLEN 499 



base of the mandibles, and patch on the scape, all of which are hght 

 yellow; clypeal margin with a tridentate medial extension; mandibles 

 without denticles; clypeal sm^face convex; hair lobes less "waxed" 

 than average and extending over about one-half of the lateral lobe 

 border, blending in with a band of long bristles extending over the 

 lower border of the entire clypeus; antennae normal in form. 



Thorax black except for a divided band on the pronotum, the meta- 

 notum, and the tegulae, all of which are light yellow; tegulae low and 

 smooth ; enclosure smooth except for a hght medial groove; mesosternal 

 tubercle absent; legs with the forecoxae black, the other coxae mostly 

 light yellow, all trochanters hght yellow, femora black except the 

 apical ends, which are hght yellow on the fore- and midlegs and fer- 

 ruginous on the hindlegs; the tibiae and tarsi largely yellow with some 

 dark patches on those of the hindlegs; wings subhyaline but clouded 

 on the apical area. 



Abdomen with nan-ow light yellow bands on terga 2 to 6, that on 

 tergum 2 somewhat wider than the others, all emarginate ; venter with 

 an emarginate band on sternite 3 and small evanescent lateral yellow 

 spots on sternite 4; pygidium with sides subparallel, the ends subequal 

 in width and the apical end rounded. 



The female of C. nitida Banks is very close to the female of C. 

 melanthe Banks. They may be separated by the form and arrange- 

 ment of the clypeal denticles and by the color of the hindfemora, 

 which are uniformly fuhginous to the apical end on C. melanthe Banks 

 but ferruginous on the apical end of C. nitida Banks. 



Types.' — The type female of C. nitida Banks, from North Carolina, 

 is at the American Museum of Natural History, no. 21185. A male 

 labeled "Type" is at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. 

 As this was probably labeled by Banks, it may be considered the 

 allotype. 



Distribution. — This rare species has been taken in very limited 

 numbers over a wide area from Quebec south to North Carolina, west 

 to Illinois, and southwest to Texas. Specimens are as follows: 



Illinois: 9, Makanda, June 4, 1919. Michigan: 9, Otonagon Co., June 

 28, 1955 (R. R. Dreisbach). New York: 9, Beaver Creek, McLean "Res." [sic], 

 Sept. 1, 1925. North Carolina: 9 , Black Mountains, July 9, 1912 (Beuten- 

 muUer); 9 , Valley of Black Mts., June 1906 (W. BeutenmuUer). Ohio: 7 9 9, 

 Put-in-Bay, July 1, 1910 (C. H. Kennedy); 2cf cf, Put-in-Bay, July 10 (C. H. 

 Kennedy); cf, Put-in-Bay (C. H. Kennedy). Quebec, Canada: 9, St. Hilaire, 

 Aug. 28, 1927 (J. W. Buckle). Tennessee: 9, Chimneys C. Or. [sic], Great 

 Smoky Mountains National Park, 2800 ft., June 12, 1954 (H. E. and M. A. 

 Evans). Texas: 9, Stonewalle, AprU 16, 1953 (L. D. Beamer) ; 3 9 9 [no data]. 



Prey record. — None. 

 Plant record. — None. 



