38 f-^"'y- 



NOTES ON THE GENUS PEOSOPIS, AND ON AN ADDITIONAL SPECIES 

 (P. CONFUSA, Ntl.) TO THE LIST OF BRITISH EYMENOPTERA. 



BT EDWARD SAUNDERS, E.L.S. 



Prosopis belongs to the Section of tlie AnfJwjyJiila whicli lias the 

 tongue obtuse and more or less bifid at the apex, and which is called 

 OhtiisiJingues. We have only two genera in England belonging to this 

 Section — Collefes, which has three suh-marginal cells to the ivings, and 

 the thorax densely hairy ; and Prosopis, which has only two suh-marginal 

 cells, a?id the thorax almost naked. There is no difficulty, therefore, 

 at arriving at the genus ; but to determine the species, is a much 

 harder matter. I hope the following remarks may be useful in point- 

 ing out some of the characters (of native species) to be relied upon. 



Div. I. — (J, face black, excavated and shining above the in-y 



sertion of the antenna ^1. cornuta. 



$ , face veith two short spines y 



Div. II. — (J , face white. $ , face simple. 



Sect. I. — Ist segment of the body with no lateral white pu- "i 2. dilatata. 



■\ 



bescence at the apex ' 3. communis. 



14. punctulatissima. 

 5. sigi/ata. 

 6. hiiallnata. 

 7. confusa. 

 8. hrevicor)iis. 

 9. varipes. 



The two species of Section I are easily recognised : dilatata, 

 Kirby, has the scape of the antennae in the ^J flattened, dilated, and 

 white exteriorly, and the spots on the face of the $ nearly round, and 

 placed in the middle, just below the insertion of the antennae ; com- 

 munis, Nyl., has the scape of the J" not flattened and dilated, and the 

 spots on the face of the $ lateral, and more or less triangular. The 

 species contained in Section II are more difficult, but may be distin- 

 guished thus— 



A. Larger species ; S with the extreme base only of the basal joint of the hind tarsi 

 pale, ? with the 1st segment of the abdomen lai'gely and somewhat closely 

 punctured. 



This sub-division contains only two species, punctulatissima and 

 signata. 



1. Face longer in both sexes. $ with the white colour of the face extending high 

 above the insertion of the antenna at the sides. Mandibles with a white 



