NO. 2173, A REVISION OF THE BEMBICINE WASPS— PARKER. 103 



BEMBIX SIMILANS Fox. 



Figs. 5, 169, 170, 198. 

 Bembex similans Fox, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1895, p. 358, female, male. 



Male. — Black: Labnrni, mandibles except apices, clypeus, scape, 

 and first flagellar segment below, lower part of frons, spot in front on 

 anterior ocellus, sometimes wanting, broad anterior orbits, posterior 

 orbits broader below, posterior border of pronotum, sides of prothorax 

 except variable spot in front of tubercles, tegulae, lateral lines on 

 scutum, lateral spots on scutellum, fascia on metanotimi sometimes 

 absent, sides of median segment, large spot on metaplem-ae, large 

 irregular anterior and smaller posterior spot on mesopleurae, broad 

 fasciae on tergites 1-6, first abruptly narrowed and usually interrupted 

 medially, remaining fasciae continuous and strongly sinuate on an- 

 terior border, the medial pair of sinuations on second and third most 

 conspicuous, lateral spots on sternites 2-6, sometimes connected by 

 apical hues, spot on coxae below, trochanters apically more or less, 

 femora except basally and stripe on posterior surface of anterior pair, 

 tibiae, and tarsi, yellow. 



Segments 7-9 of the flagellum are spinose on their posterior border 

 and 10-11 bear shallow excavations or pits. The apical segment is 

 but slightly cm^ved, rounded apically and of uniform width. The 

 middle femora are dentate below. The second sternite may or may 

 not bear a small median process and the sixth a small short pointed 

 one. The seventh is carinate medially. 



Female. — ^The color and maculations of the female are quite similar 

 to those of the male, though the black on the legs is more extensive. 

 On some specimens the tibiae are striped with black below. 



Length. — 11-16 mm. 



We find some variation in both sexes. One male has all the fasciae 

 on tergites continuous ; two females have each a pair of discal marks 

 on scutum, the lateral spots on the scuteUum united and a well 

 developed curved fascia on the dorsum of the median segment. The 

 ultimate segment is usually black, but in the case of two females the 

 ultimate tergite is broadly marked with yellow and others show a 

 gradation from the black on the one extreme to the yellow on the 

 other. The eyes are widely separated and in both sexes are dis- 

 tinctly divergent at the vertex. The flagellum is yellowish or fulvous 

 below. The head, thorax, and abdomen are covered with short, 

 white, moderately dense pubescence, shorter on the abdomen than 

 elsewhere and better developed on the male than on the female. The 

 wings are hyaline, veins fulvous. According to Fox the scutum of 

 the male is without pubescence; all the males before me have the 



