136 



BULLETIN" 143, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



by the writer vary in length from 9 to 18 mm. The legs vary in color 

 from a dark mahogany red to rufous; I have seen none with the legs 

 actually black. Most specimens have the second abdominal tergite 

 fringed with black pubescence interrupted medially by a small spot 

 of silvery pubescence ; some specimens, however, have the fringe en- 

 tirely black without the median pale spot, and still others from the 

 Southern States have the black pubescence extending on to the third 

 abdominal tergite. Such specimens also show a tendency for the 

 pubescence on the sides of the thorax to be black. For the present 

 there seems to be no advantage in designating these differences with 

 varietal names. The males vary in length from 8.5 mm. to 15 mm. 

 Previous authors have said that this species occurs from the Atlantic 

 States to California, and from the Atlantic States to Arizona. In 



Fig. 12. — Distribution of Dasymutilla lepelejtierii (Fox) 



the many thousands of specimens examined by the writer I have not 

 seen one from farther west than eastern Texas. I have examined 

 the types of ferrugata var. halabetei Rohwer, georgiama Rohwer, 

 plesia Rohwer, and vierecM Rohwer and agree with Bradley (1916) 

 that they are identical with the female of lepeletierii. Thanks to 

 Director Monticelli, of the Zoological Museum of the University of 

 Naples, I have had the privilege of examining the two specimens 

 from Texas determined by Zavattari (1910) as Ephuta antiguensis 

 Fabricius. One of these proves to be a female specimen of lepe- 

 letierii. 



The species lepeletierii is very closely related to hioculata^ the 

 latter replacing it in the Middle Western States. Female specimens 

 of lepeletierii usually have the third tergite silvery pubescent, but occa- 

 sional large specimens from the Southern States have this tergite 



