664. 

 TIPHIA MINUTA. 



Order Hymenoptera. Fam. Scoliadae. 



Type of the Genus, Tiphia femorata Fab. 



TiPHiA Fab., Lat., Panz., Jur., Vand. L., Shuck., Curt. — Bethyllus 

 Panz. 



Antenna inserted at the base of the clypeus, approximating, a 

 little longer than the head, filiform or subfusiform, a little curved 

 and 13-jointed in the males, basal joint the stoutest, subovate, 

 2nd small, cup-shaped, 3rd a little larger, the remainder sub- 

 quadrate, apical joint a little longer and ovate-conic ; more 

 curved and 12-jointed in the female, the apical joint consider- 

 ably longer than the 11th (1). 



Labrum small, concealed under the clypeus, pocket-shaped, the 

 anterior margin ciliated or pectinated with long stout spines, 

 the 2 central ones very long (2). 



Mandibles crossing, long, rather slender, curved and acute, hairy 

 outside (3). 



Maxillce with a horny base and a large hairy lobe on the inside. 



Palpi attached to the upper margin of the horny portion, long, 



hairy, and composed of 6 unequal joints, 1st joint bent at the 



base, 2nd and 3rd the stoutest, cleaver- shaped, the former the 



shortest, the following long and subclavate, tapering, the apical 



joint being the slenderest and conical at the point (4). 



Mentum top-shaped, hiding the Lip, which is very short. Palpi 



stout hairy and4-jointed, basal joint the slenderest, clavate with 



a spine outside, 2nd truncated obliquely, 3rd more pear-shaped, 



4th ovate-conic (5). 



Head transverse, not broader than the thorax ; face orbicular ; eyes 



lateral ovate : ocelli 3 in triangle on the crown. Thorax ovate, 



collar ample ; scutel lunate ; metathorax truncated. Abdomen 



ovate-conic, basal joint campanulate, -petiole short and stout with a 



tooth on each side. Wings, superior with one marginal, 2 submar- 



ginal and 3 discoidal cells, the 1st complete in the male, open in the 



female (9) with the apex of the wing notched. Legs short and stout, 



very spiny and hairy in the female (8) : thighs, posterior very short, 



incrassated and compressed in the female : tibiae short, ivith long 



slender spurs and series of short thick spines outside the 4 posterior 



in the female : tarsi rather short and 5-jointed, tapering and very 



bristly in the female : claws short and bifid. (8, afore leg.) 



MiNUTA Valid. Lind. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 667. 3. 



In the Cabinets of Mr. Dale, Mr. Shuckard, and the Author. 



The Scoliidae form a very extensive family inhabiting warm 

 latitudes and the tropics. On the sandy shores of the Medi- 

 terranean, especially near Frejus, I found a considerable num- 

 ber of species, but none inhabit Great Britain or the North of 

 Europe that I am aware of, excepting the genus Tiphia, for 

 ^^IVJg^i pl- 532, is evidently a distinct family, and Tcngyra 



Ul 



