112 AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 



Melissodes wickhanii n. sp. 



9 . Length about 13 mm., the abdomen being rather long. In 

 my tables it runs to 31. communis and hortivagavs, but it is quite 

 distinct from these. From hortivagans it differs at once by the nar- 

 rower form (especially the abdomen), the abdomen much less dis- 

 tinctly banded, the tibial scopaof hind legs much less abundant, etc. 

 At a glance the abdomen appears to be one-bauded, thus recalling 

 31. epicharina, but the single distinct band is at the base of the sec- 

 ond segment, and is white. The color of the thoracic hair is also 

 strongly suggestive of epicharina; but the wings are paler than in 

 that species, the tibial scopa is less abundant, and there are various 

 other differences. From il£ eoinmunis it is at once separated by the 

 appearance of the abdomen. 



Eyes pale reddish-grey ; flagellura scarcely reddened beneath ; vertex with 

 much black hair; thorax above with greyish-white hair, the hind part of meso- 

 thorax, and the sciitellum, bare, shining, with strong punctures; the hind bor- 

 ders of scutellum with black hair, and the hair on mesothorax posteriorly suf- 

 fusedly blackish, but there is no well-defined black patch ; hair of pleura, under 

 part of thorax and mesothorax dull white; tegulse shining piceous; wings only 

 moderately dusky, stigma and nervnves piceous ; hair of legs pale, scopa of hind 

 legs scarcely yellowish ; hind margins of abdominal segments 1 to 4 testaceous ; 

 subbasal area on 2 with distinct but sparse punctures; median band on 2 very 

 faint, slightly oblique, interrupted medially; 3 and 4 greyish from a fine cover- 

 ing of pale hair, the bauds evanescent; no bare space on 4 ; 5 and 6 with black 

 hair; hind margins of ventral segments very broadly ferruginous. 



Hab. — Fedor, Texas, May 3, 1899 {Birkmann). Also one taken 

 May 10. Named after Mr. H. F. Wickham, who has made im- 

 portant contributions to the entomology of Texas. In Robertson's 

 table this runs to 31. vernonice, but differs by the red hair on inner 

 side of hind tarsi, and various other characters. 31. vernonice is an 

 oligotropic visitor of Vernonia fasciculata, and so cannot be a spring 

 species. 



1 can hardly put forward four new species of the group of 3Ielis- 

 sodes communis without some sort of explanation or apology. At 

 first sight, one would readily suppose M. communis to be indeed a 

 very common, widespread and variable insect. This was the earlier 

 interpretation of it; but Robertson, who has very carefully studied 

 the subject in Illinois, finds it possible to separate a number of 

 species which are oligotropic, and doubtless of more or less local 

 occurrence. I have formerly separated others, and the present indi- 

 cations are that the southern states, east of the 100th meridian, are 



