580. 

 •MELLINUS SABULOSIIS. 



Order Hymenoptera. Fam. Crabronidae. 



Type of the Genus, Vespa arvensis Linn. 

 Mellinus Fah., Lat., Jur., V. Lind., Curt. — Crabro Fab., Pans. 

 Antenna longer than the head, slender and inserted at the middle 

 of the face, a little remote, subfusiform, pubescent and 13-jointed 

 in the male, basal joint short but the stoutest, ovate-truncate, 

 2nd minute subglobose, 3rd and 4th nearly of equal length and 

 not longer than the 1st, the remainder insensibly decreasing in 

 length, 5th to the 8th oblong, the remainder concave beneath, 

 forming a protuberance at the base, the apical joint longer, atte- 

 nuated and rounded at the apex (1 (^) ; longer filiform and 

 12-jointed in the female, with all the joints more elongated and 

 simple, 3rd joint rather the longest (1 ? ). 

 Labrum broad and short, inserted under the cljrpeus, anterior 

 margin nearly straight and cUiated with long hairs (2). 

 Mandibles long, crossing, hairy and bifid in the male, tridentate 

 in the female (3), the apex being lanceolate;, with 2 rounded 

 teeth beneath. 



MaxillcE terminated by a large ovate, concave, pubescent lobe, 

 with a smaller one lying close behind it. Palpi long pubescent 

 and 6-jointed, basal joint the shortest, 2nd a little longer and 

 stouter, both clavate, 3rd rather stout and considerably longer, 

 4th the longest, 5th the length of the 3rd joint, 6th a little longer 

 and very slender (4). 



Mentum oblong, rounded before, nearly concealing the Lip, 

 which is broader, the angles rounded. Palpi rather long, pu- 

 bescent and 4-jointed, basal joint long and clavate, the re- 

 mainder shorter, nearly equal in length, 2nd thickest at the apex 

 and truncated obhquely, 3rd and 4th a little curved (5). 

 Males considerably smaller than the females. Head large and orbicular: 

 eyes lateral and ovate : ocelli 3, in triangle on the croivn of the 

 head. Thorax obovate ; metathorax foveated. Abdomen ovate, 

 icith a pear-shaped peduncle. Wings with 1 marginal, 4 submargi- 

 nal and 3 discoidal cells. Legs alike in both sexes : thighs incras- 

 sated, small at the apex : tibiee, anterior with a curved spine at the 

 apex: tarsi long, b -jointed, basal joint very long in the anterior, 

 notched at the base, 2 following turbinate, 4th bilobed, oth thick and 

 short : claws rather long curved and acute : pulvilli large, forming 

 a large sucker at the apex (8, afore leg). 



Sabulosus Fab. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 687. 1. 



The Mellini are partial to dry sandy banks, where the females 

 form burrows to deposit their eggs; and when they hatch, 

 the parent carries the young larvae dead flies to feed upon. 

 I have twice watched the M. arvensis thus employed, and the 

 following observations are copied from my note-book. 



Sept. 16th. I was exceedingly amused at the strength and 

 sagacity exhibited by a species of Mellinus. It had captured 

 a large blue fly, probably Musca vomitoria, which it held tight 

 by the rostrum with its mandibles, the under side of the abdo- 



