AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 291 



XOTES OX XORTH AMERICA* MlTILLID.t, WITH 

 DESCRIPTIONS OF XEW SPECIES. 



BY AXEL LEONARD MELANDER. 



The following notes and descriptions are the result of a study of 

 several collections of North American Mutillidae. -The paper grew 

 from a review of the local forms of Central Texas to its present pro- 

 portions as the study of the various collections revealed interesting 

 notes. A full list of the species is given in order to supply data lor 

 distribution, as in many cases the species were taken from unre- 

 corded localities. Whenever the species was taken in a new State 

 a * has been prefixed to its Dame. In order to corroborate the 

 identity of the species the larger part of the material has been 

 compared with the excellent type-collection of the American Ento 

 mological Society at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. 

 By this means the variable species have been assigned their places, 

 and the element of doubt in identifying from descriptions alone the 

 species of so large and difficult a group has been eliminated. Inas 

 much as the recent paper by Mr. Win. J. Fox in these Transactions 

 for l>i99 gives the be<t arrangement of our specie- that paper will 

 be followed, the species listed in the same order, and the notes given 

 may be regarded as supplementary to his revision. Nevertheless, 

 the present writer does not agree in all cases with his scheme of 

 phyletic relationship; e. g., the association of harmonia with waco, 

 and the divisions anthophora and imperialis are not based on 

 phyletic reasoning, and hence are artificial categories; but in the 

 main the paper is carefully prepared and is of great service to the 

 student. The great variability of certain of the species, and the 

 confusing resemblance of others distantly related have combined to 

 make species definition a hard task, necessitating more lengthy 

 descriptions than Air. Fox is accustomed to give. Especially in 

 the Photopsis group is this to be marked. The abandonment of 

 I J l(ufi)j>-<i-< by Fox and Dalla Torre is as much an extreme as the 

 erection by others of genera on single characters of certain of these 

 pale-colored and night flying species. It may be remarked that 

 individuals of at least one species, danaus, are assignable, some to 

 Photopsis, others to Odontophotopsis. 



TRASS. AM. EXT. SOC. XXIX. SEPTEMBEK. 1903 



