—95— 



rower, equal, sutural vitta. It differs further in the bicolored underside, 

 the want of serrations at the sides of elytra and in the presence of a dis- 

 tinct impressed median line on thorax. Several specimens from Mass. 

 are in Mr. Julich's collection, and he informs me he has seen the same 

 species in Mr. Lugger's collection taken near Baltimore. Dr. Horn says 

 there is a specimen of the same species in the Leconte collection, 

 Odontota lateritia, sp. nov. 



Elytra with eight series of punctures, divided into twos by three costse. Form 

 slender, parallel, margins of elytra distinctly serrulate. Above, uniformly blood red 

 in color; beneath, head and prothorax red, else black. Antennae and posterior legs 

 black ; median legs piceous, anterior legs rufo-piceous. Vertex with a median sulca. 

 Thorax slightly wider at base, sides arquate; coarsely and densely punctured with an 

 impressed median line, and a shallow transverse basal fovea. 



Length 6 mm. Hab. Ariz. I specimen. 



A very distinct species, belonging between nervosa, and gracilis. It 

 is more robust than gracilis and more>parallel than nervosa. Its uniform 

 blood red color is characteristic and differs immediately from the two 

 other species belonging to the same section. 



Charistena bicolor, sp. nov. 



Head and elytra metallic dark blue, shining, thorax red. Beneath prothorax 

 and abdomen red, else blue black. Elongate, sides of the elytra parallel, margins 

 not serrulate. Thorax as long as wide, feebly arquate in front, parallel behind, Disc 

 hardly convex, with a large, shallow, fovea at base; sparsely punctured at middle, 

 more densely at sides. Antennae black, legs red. 



Length 45 mm. Hab. New Mexico. 1 specimen. 



The second and third joints of antennae are equal in length, and 

 the species is close is Ariadne. It stands before that species in the se- 

 ries. The intermediate femora do not appear to be serrulate, and the 

 margins of the elytra are also smooth. It differs from all other species 

 by the uniformly red thorax: the red legs also distinguish it from Ariadne. 



On the discovery of Thoracantha, a tropical genus of 



Chalcid flies, in Florida. 



By Wm. H. Ashmead, Jacksonville, Fla. 



It may be interesting to many of your readers to know that that 

 interesting genus of the ChalcididcB, Thoracantha, has a representative in 

 the United States. 



This spring, among other interesting captures, I took a beautiful 

 male specimen of this unique genus, feeding upon the flowers of the 

 gall-berry Ilex glaber, being I believe the first of the genus discovered on 

 the North American Continent. 



The genus has heretofore been considered tropical, all the described 

 species having been taken in the tropics. 



Thoracantha fur cala Fabricius, is from Africa and Brazil; T. striata 



