MUTILLAUI.E. 177 



are shorter than in Scolia or Myzine ; the chpeus is also .shorter, 

 while the prothorax is longer. In the fore-wings the onter cos- 

 tal cell is short, broad, angulated, oval ; and of the two sub- 

 costal cells, the outer one is broad and triangular, twice as long 

 as broad, while the first median cell is regularly short rhom- 

 boidal, much more so than in the other genera. 



The females, according to Westwood, ''make perpendicular 

 l)urrows in sandy situations, for the reception of their eggs ; 

 but the precise food stored np for the larva; has not been ob- 

 served." Tiphia inornata Say is a common species with ns, 

 and flies low over sandy places earl}^ in the season. 



The short oval head, the large eyes, short meso-scutum, 

 large meso-scutellum, and the flattened, rather smooth body, 

 characterize the genus Mijzine. The females are very diflerent 

 from the males, the two sexes being for a long time considered 

 as separate genera. The female, especially, differs in the great 

 length of the square prothorax, which is very broad and convex 

 in front. In the male the eyes are lunate, while in the female 

 they are small, entire, and remote. In its general form the fe- 

 males much resemble Scolia, while the males are long and nar- 

 row, with broad yellow bands, especially on the abdomen, and a 

 large exserted sting-like organ. Myzine sexcincta Fabr. is seen 

 from New England southwards, flying low over hot sandy places. 

 The genus Elis is closely allied. Sumichrast (American Nat- 

 uralist, vol. 2), surmises that Ells costaUs St. Farg. lives on 

 certain Scarabaiides, which nndei'go their metamorphosis in the 

 formicary of Q^codoma in Mexico, 



MuTiLLAKi.E Latreille. This interesting family is character- 

 ized by the females alone being wingless, though Morawitz sa3-s 

 that wingless males occur in two species ; and by the absence, 

 generally, of the three ocelli. In Mutilla and Myrmosa the 

 thorax is still high, compressed, and oblong cuboidal, and ex- 

 cept in the closely united tergal pieces the females do not greatly 

 recede from the type of the winged males. The species are 

 very equal in size, are black, or black and red, and either 

 smooth or hirsute. 



The antemiiB are inserted low down on the front, the cl3"peus 

 being very short and broadly ovate (especially in ]Myrniosa), 

 12 



