118 PROF. M. BEZZI. 



24. Mellesis destiliatoria, sp. nov. 



A species of greater size, and readily distinguished by the ahnost unspotted yellow 

 face, well developed anterior supra-alar bristle, simple hypopleural spot, properly 



stalked abdomen and conical ovipositor. 



$. Length of body, 10 mm. ; length of antenna, 2'5 mm. ; length of ovipositor, 

 2 mm. 



Head yellow ; occiput with a broad pale border behind the vertex and along the 

 eye borders ; ocellar area broadly variegated with brown ; frons broad, distinctly 

 broader than an eye, with a black cross-band in the middle, prolonged behind into a 

 point on each side ; lunula shining black above ; a fuscous ill-defined stripe on the 

 dividing line between the frons and cheeks ; face broad, rather shining, with uncertain 

 fuscous spots above, below the root of the antemiae and on the inner border of the 

 antennal furrows behind the middle ; a narrow black border at the upper mouth- 

 edge ; cheeks and jowls yellow, the latter with a black triangular spot under the 

 eye ; genal bristle distinct ; fronto-orbital bristles wanting in the case of the type, 

 but it seems that the single upper pair may be present, the lower pairs being entirely 

 Avanting. Antennae very elongate, much longer than the face, A-ellow, the third 

 joint darkened and with whitish dusting ; first joint elongate, about as long as the 

 second ; second joint dilated at the end, with some pale yellowish hairs above and a 

 longer one near the middle ; third joint a little longer than the first two taken 

 together, linear, a little broader before the end than near the base, obtuse ; arista 

 thin, bare, dark yellowish, as long as the last two antennal joints. Palpi broad, 

 yellow, black at base, bare ; proboscis black, with yellowish flaps and with long pale 

 hairs. Thorax short, convex, punctulate, entirely of a reddish colour, with short 

 greyish pubescence ; there is a narrow longitudinal black middle stripe, ending 

 before the scutellum, and in front with a trace of a lateral black stripe on each side ; 

 suture broadly interrupted in the middle, with a narrow yellow stripe on each side, 

 which, becoming broader and passing over the sutural calli, encroaches on the meso- 

 pleura, ending a little beyond the upper border of the sternopleura ; this stripe is 

 margined with black in front on the mesopleura ; sternopleura above and ptero- 

 pleura entirely black ; humeral calli yellow, narrowly margined with brown in front ; 

 a single hypopleural spot, the mesophragma being reddish, with a blackish stripe on 

 each side, which is only narrowly paler on the upper border. Scutellum yellow, 

 with a black basal band. All the bristles are black ; interior scapular black and as 

 strong as the exterior ; anterior notopleural and anterior supra-alar both well 

 developed ; pteropleural not distinct ; apical scutellar strong. Halteres whitish. 

 Abdomen with the first segment constricted to form a thin cyUndrical stalk, continued 

 by the base of the second segment, which is broadened behind ; the other three seg- 

 ments form an almost spherical club, under the border of which projects the strong 

 and swollen ovipositor, with a long and conical first segment ; the abdomen is 

 punctulate hke the thorax and has a whitish pubescence, which is longer at the sides 

 and becomes sericeous and yellowish on the last two segments. First segment 

 reddish yellow, with a brown spot above on the posterior half ; second dark reddish, 

 with yellow fore angles and a broad pale yellowish hind border ; third blackish, with 

 a complete reddish hind border ; fourth and fifth black, with a broad yellowish 

 hind border, which is broadened towards the middle ; the shining oval patches of the 



