74 MELITTA. (**. b.) 



Abdomen: sublineare, a|)iccm versus latius, niti- 



diim, glabrum; segmento primo basi nigro, 



marginc lat^, sccundoquc, riifi> macula niediH 



trapeziformi nigrA, tcrtio nigro lateribus rulis, 



ultimis nigris. Segmenta duo intermedia 



utrinque puncto nigro, itcmque basi tomcn- 



toso-alba. Venter basi rul'us liturA semicir- 



culari nigricante. 



Var. p alarqm nervis nigricantibus; tibiis imma- 



culatis, plantis rulis basi albidis ; abdomine 



segmentis margine rufis, secundo rufo 



macula magna dorsali, punctisque duobus 



latcralibus, nigris. 



This insect is nearly related to the preccf-.ing 



species, but I think, with Panzer, we may venture 



to separate them. He, indeed, supposes that they 



may be different sexes of the same individual, but 



in this he is mistaken, as they are both certainly 



males, the female in this family being of a very 



different form. M. ahdominalis is larger than AI. 



albipes, its labium and maxillas are black, the tibiae 



also are black, the last pair only having a white 



ring at their base. The spots on the red segments 



of the abdomen are of a different form, and at the 



base of the three intermediate ones is a small patch 



of white decumbent hairs. Rmzer's figure varies 



somewhat from our specimens, tlie margin of the 



intermediate segments of the abdomen in that 



\)emg yellow, as well as the joints of the legs, 



which is not the case with ours. 



31. M. 



