94 FROCEEUINGH OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.52. 



his table Handlirscli makes use of only color differences to separate 

 his two species. These differences, made use of by Handlirsch, repre- 

 sent, as a matter of fact, simply extremes in a variable series, as is 

 shown by the series of specimens I have examined. In the series I 

 find one male that has the labrum, clypeus, lower side of scape, 

 frontal spot, wide anterior and narrow posterior orbits yellow — charac- 

 ter pecular to insignis. It also has narrow, interrupted, conspicuous 

 fasciae on fourth, fifth, and sixth tergites — characters that distinguish 

 cressonis — thus combining in one individual the very characters by 

 means of which the two species have been separated. Other speci- 

 mens also, both males and females, show a greater or less degree of 

 variation in their maculations and these variations are present in 

 those maculations that we should expect to find relatively constant 

 if they are to be regarded as specific characters. Furthermore, so 

 far as I can discover, there is no variation whatever in structure in 

 either sex. I have, therefore, been forced to conclude that we have 

 only one species variable in color and also somewhat in size and have 

 placed the specimens in Cresson's original species helfragei. 



Habitat. — Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, and Wisconsin. 



Number of specimens examined — Males, 1 1 ; females, 7. 



BEMBIX STENOBDOMA. new species. 



Figs. 154, 192, 214, 215. 



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

 basal segments of flageUmn below, spot between antennae, broad 

 anterior orbits narrowly prolonged onto vertex and joined by a 

 transverse line below anterior ocellus, broad posterior orbits nar- 

 rowed to a fine line above, prothorax ahiiost entirely, lateral lines 

 and a pair of discal lines on scutum, tegulae, narrow fascia on scutel- 

 lum enlarged laterally, narrow curved fascia on metanotum, short 

 narrow oblique lines basaUy on dorsum of median segment, sides of 

 median segment, mesothorax and motathorax entirely, mesoster- 

 mum except small black spots in front of middle coxae, broad fasciae 

 on tergites 1-6, first slightly narrowed medially, second to sixth 

 biemarginate and also notched medially on anterior dorsal border, 

 apex of seventh tergite, first stemite, second except three anterior 

 black spots, broad fasciae on third and fourth with a median triangular 

 anterior emargination, lateral spots on fifth, apex of sixth, seventh, legs 

 except basal black spots on middle and posterior coxae and narrow 

 black stripe on aU femora above, greenish yellow. The markings of 

 the scutellum, metanotum, and dorsum of abdomen are more white 

 than yellow; this is true to a less extent of the clypeus while the legs 

 lack the greenish tinge. 



The scape is very short, stout, and thick and the fiageUum is unusu- 

 ally light in color, shading below from yellow at the base to tawny 



