INSECUTOR INSCITI^ MENSTRUUS 93 



This species has been misidentified by North American sys- 

 tematists and is strictly South American. The pecuHar distri- 

 bution indicated by the records, the La Plata region and the 

 sub-boreal portions of North America, appeared improbable 

 and led the writer to look up the original description. It at 

 once became clear that the true meigenii, although showing 

 much the same general coloration as the North American 

 species passing under this name, is amply distinct, being, indeed, 

 more closely related to certain neotropical species. 



This is apparent from Wiedemann's description of the scutel- 

 lum of his meigenii: "Schildchen mitten breit wachsgelb, an 

 den Seiten schwarz." (Scutellum broadly wax-yellow in the 

 middle, black at the sides.) Now, by no stretch of the imagina- 

 tion can the scutellum of our species be called "wax-yellow," 

 while the term would be very apt for such species as scutellaris, 

 to which latter we find Wiedemann actually applying the same 

 term. Nor is there any trace of black at the sides of the 

 scutellum of brousii (for we might as well call our species by 

 its correct name). The scutellum of brousii is brown, "sub- 

 translucent yellowish or reddish on the outer part." It is thick 

 and convex and its whole surface is rather densely clothed with 

 fine long hairs. On the other hand, we have in the group of 

 neotropical species above referred to a flat broad scutellum 

 nearly bare on the disk. There is a whole series of such species 

 with flat wax-yellow scutellum and with body coloration more 

 or less resembling meigenii. Bristalis scutellaris Fabr. and E. 

 albifrons Wied. are familiar examples of this group. Un- 

 fortunately the writer has been unable to procure specimens 

 of the true meigenii, but if any doubt exists as to the above 

 contention, the figure in Wiedemann's work, evidently generally 

 overlooked, should prove convincing. Our North American 

 species passing as meigenii will liave to be known as Bristalis 

 brousii Will. 



Volucella incommoda, new species. 



Male. — Eyes contiguous, very shortly white-pilose. Face 

 and frontal triangle pellucid brownish yellow, unmarked, mod- 

 erately prominent. Antennae dull reddish yellow, the third 



