Volucella. 405 



bristles at the upper corner of mesopleura. Abdomen short ovate; it 

 is black, somewhat shining, second segment yellowish white, somewhat 

 translucent, with a narrow, black middle line; abdomen is clothed 

 with short, black hairs, longer on the fourth segment; on the second 

 segment the hairs are yellow except at the hind margin. Venter 

 coloured as dorsum, but the whitish band stretching in on the front 

 half of the third segment; it is clothed with yellow and black hairs, 

 following the ground colour. Legs less stout than in hombylans, black, 

 the basal part of anterior tibiæ dark ferriginous and soraetimes also 

 just the base of the anterior tarsi, The legs are black-haired, the hairs 

 short, somewhat longer on the femora in the usual way and there 

 are some long, bristly hairs below the anterior femora; middle femora 

 with some bristles behind the apex. Wings yellowish on the basal 

 half with a large, brown middle spot and a small apical one as in 

 bomhylans. Squamulæ reddish yellow or darker brownish with red- 

 dish yellow fringes. Halteres with the peduncle blackish brown, the 

 knob yellow. 



Female. Vertex and frons rather narrow, a little widening down- 

 wards, yellowish or reddish brown, with black hairs. Eyes bare. 

 Antennæ slightly larger than in the male. Thorax with the reddish 

 side margin more conspicuous and scutellum more red ; the hairs on 

 thorax short, mixed black and yellow, especially a patch of yellow 

 hairs in the middle in front of scutellum, often placed on a reddish 

 spot. The blackish middle line on second abdominal segment very 

 narrow, often abbreviated or only present at the base. 



Length 12 — 16 mm, but the small specimens rarely seen. 



V. pellucens is common in Denmark; .Ordrup Mose, Ermelund, 

 Ruderhegn, Hareskov, Donse, Frerslev Hegn, Tyvekrog, Egebæks Vang, 

 Tisvilde; on Lolland at Maribo and in Kældskov; on Funen at Veflinge 

 and Middelfart; in Jutland in Nørholm Skov at Varde, at Horsens, 

 Frijsenborg, Hald near Viborg, Rebbild near Skørping and Madum Sø, 

 and on Bornholm at Rønne. My dates are ^^/e — ^^/t. It occurs on 

 similar piaces as the preceding species and it frequents many various 

 flowers. The larva was found in Dyrehaven in the earth beneath a 

 nest of V. vulgaris on '^A, and likewise in Dyrehaven in a nest of 

 V. vulgaris on ^/lo, these latter larvæ developed next spring, further in 

 Geel Skov again in the earth below a nest of the same Vespa on '^U, 

 pupating on '^'^U and developing on ^^/s (Kryger) ; fmally it was found 

 at Copenhagen in the nest of an undetermined Vespa in September 

 (Schlick). 



Geographical distribution:— All Europe, towards the north to 

 middle Sweden, and in Finland; it is also recorded from Japan. 



