480. 

 OXYBELUS ARGENTATUS. 



Order Hymenoptera. Fam. Larridae. 

 Type of the Genus, Vespa uniglumis Linn. 



OxYBELUs Lat., Fab., Panz., Jur., Curt. — Vespa inm. — Crabro Fab. 

 Antenna inserted at the base of the clypeus, short, curved, cla- 

 vate, geniculated and pubescent, 13 -jointed in the males and 

 12-jointed in the females (1) ; basal joint rather long and very 

 stout, 2nd much smaller and cup-shaped, 3rd longer than the 

 2nd, 4th shorter, the remainder cup-shaped or subquadrate, ter- 

 minal joint ovate. 



Labrum small lunulate, ciliated, producing a few long hairs (2). 

 Mandibles long slender cun^ed and acute with a triangular notch 

 on the inside towards the base ; externally hairy and ciliated in- 

 ternally (3). 



MaxillcB terminated by an incurved ovate lobe, the apical margin 

 ciliated, and a small lobe on the inside. Palpi rather short, 

 slender, pubescent, pilose and 6 -jointed, basal joint small, the 

 remainder nearly equal, the 5 th a little shorter than the terminal 

 one which is elongate -ovate (4). 



Mentum quadrate at the top, the anterior margin sinviated, with 

 a spine in the middle, base obovate, forming an angle on each 

 side. Palpi rather long slender and pubescent, attached to 

 small scapes, 4-jointed, basal joint the longest, clavate, the re- 

 mainder nearly of equal size, the terminal joint ovate. Lij) 

 subquadrate and slightly emarginate (5). 

 Head transverse, face orbicular : clypeus with a deep keel in the centre 

 in the males : eyes lateral long and narrow: ocelli 3 in triangle on 

 the fore part of the head. Thorax globose, rather broader than the 

 head : collar short : (T, the thorax in profile) : scutellum trispinose, 

 the lateral spines sguamose (a), the central one the longest acuminated 

 curved and grooved above (b). Abdomen not larger than the thorax, 

 ovate-conic and 6-jointed. Wings ; superior ivith 1 long marginal 

 cell having the nervure continued from the apex, and 2 suhmarginal 

 cells, the 1st of these being separated from one of the discoidul cells 

 by a faint nervure : inferior wings ivith one transverse nervure very 

 close to the base. Legs stout : thighs thick, short and ventricose : 

 tibiae short clavate and spurred at the apex and spincd outside : tarsi 

 lo7iger than the tibice, the anterior with spiny bristles outside and ser- 

 rated with smaller ones internally ; 5-jointed, basal Joint the longest, 

 4th minute, 5th thick and ovate. Claws curved and acute : pulvilli 

 large and ovate (8, afore leg). 



Argentatus Matt. MSS. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 681. 6. 



Black, completely clothed with depressed silvery hairs and thickly 

 punctured ; scutellum with the lateral lobes and the apex of the 

 curved spine yellow. Abdomen ovate-conic, with a yellow spot 

 on each side of the first 4 segments, the 1st pair transverse oval, 

 the 2nd and 3rd linear, the 4th united. Nervures of wings and 

 legs ferruginous ; anterior thighs black, yellow at the apex, the 

 others black only at the base ; anterior tibiae yellow outside, the 

 others only of that colour at the base : Pulvilli blackish. 



In the Cabinets of the British Museum and Mr. Matthews. 



