1911.] - ' 105 



6. Stigma yellow. (This aloiio will distinguiali it from ;i.ny of the following 



species!). Legs black, more or less marked with white, these markings 

 tending to disappear in the J <? . The ^ abdomen is normally quite 

 black, but sometimes even in this sex and regularly in the ? two or three 

 of the intermediate segments are spotted on the sides with white, and 

 the middle of the 8th segm. above is white also. 



(Length, about 10- — 11 mm.) 12 punctata, Linn. 



— Stigma always dusky 7. 



7. Four front femora and tibiae almost entii'ely yellow in front and behind. 



The female at once recognisable by its Allantus-like coloration, the black 

 abdomen bearing several yellow fasciae, continuous on the propodeum 

 and the apical segment, interrupted [i. e., broken into pairs of large 

 lateral spots, which however occupy much of the dorsum on segments 

 ■4 — 5). The hind femora have yellow bases, and the hind tibiae are 

 spotted with yellow before their apices. 



(A large «pecies, about 10 — 14 mm. long) rustica, Linn. 



— Front femora and tibiae always more or less lined with black behind... 8. 



8. Eyes nearly parallel (scarcely convergent) and distant from each other by 



quite the width of the clypeiis. A S , with diill strongly punctured 

 vertex, and entii-ely black abdomen. ^Except as to the eyes, much re- 

 sembling ribis, and perhaps mixed with it in collections, cf. the Notes 

 on Species following) punctum album, L., ^ . 



— Convergence of eyes considerable. The least distance between them less 



than the width of the clypeus 9. 



9. Pleiu-ae with white marks. Abdominal segments with very narrow pale 



apical margins, somewhat widening on the sides and beneath. In the J 

 the ventral svirface may be practically white. (I have never seen a 

 British example of this insect myself, but Mr. Cameron's records of it 

 seem to be reliable) f albipuncta. Fall. 



— Pleiu'ae immaculate 10. 



10. Vertex almost impimctate and very shining ; marked in the ? (always ?) 



with two minvite white spots. Abdomen quite black, or with variable 

 white markings (e. g., on the propodeum and the apical segment in the 



? , the sides and venter in the ^ , &c., but none of these give constant 

 characters !). Generally part of the pronotum and tegulae, and often the 



$ sciitelhmi is white. Legs l>lack with white markings. 



(Length, about 10 mm.) albicincta, Schr. 



— Vertex coarsely punctured and dull, immaculate in both sexes. Thorax 



and abdonaen both entirely black. Legs black and ^\hite, much as in the 

 last species. (Length, about 8 — 10 mm.) ribis, Schr. 



[Besides the above species, hasmatopus, Pauz. — oiie of tlie many 

 synonyms of diversipes, Schr. — has been quoted as a British species, 

 but I have little doubt (see Ent. Mo. Ma^., 1902, p. 207) erroneously). 

 This insect and the darkest forms of nifi])es have a somewhat similar 



