OUYPTODEMA, 313 



claws not pectinate. Areolet wanting; nervellus subantef ureal 

 and intercepted below its centre. 



Ratuje. Bengal. 



This remarkable genus appears to appi-oach nearest to Sjyheco- 

 l>haga, Westw. (Cacotivpa, Fdrst.) in the conformation of its legs, 

 wings, mesonotum and petiolar spiracles, though differing in the 

 produced clypeus, convex and carapace-like abdominal segments, 

 bordered scutellum, and in the nietanotal arote. It has somewhat 

 the facies of S^ihinctns in its short metanotum, somewhat slender 

 legs and produced c-lypous ; but the claws are simple and the verv 

 peculiar conformation of the abdomen seems to relate it in sonni 

 degree to the Eraconid CRxrTOGASTRES. Possibly it has Cryptid 

 associations in the elongate petiole with spiracles behind the 

 centre, but the former is not geniculate, while the metanotum is 

 distinctly sculptured and the areolet obviously wanting. If related 

 to Sphecophnija, its economy should be interesting, since that geiuis 

 is known to prey upon Vespa in the midst of their nests ((■/". mv 

 notes on the genus in Ent. Month. Mag. lUOO, p. 117). There is 

 no affinity whatever between this genus and Hemigaster fasc.iatus, 

 as figured by Brulle (Nat. Hist. Ins. Hym. pi. xji, fig. 1, $ ), 

 which has the terebra exserted to nearly half the length of the 

 abdomen and the apical segments evident ; though this differs 

 somewhat widely from his description {op. cit. iv, p. 266) " il a la 

 portion posterieure de I'abdomen repliee et cachee sous les trois 

 premiers segments .... La tarricre est trcs-courte daus VII. fas- 

 ciatus." 



224. Cryptodema anormis, sp. n. 



d • A dull black species, with testaceous markings and white 

 pilosity. Head very broad and ^trougly transverse, coarsely and 

 coufluently punctate throughout; vertex very narrow, "frons 

 longitudinally carinate centrally and testaceous laterally; face 

 longitudinally convex in the centre, testaceous and not discrete 

 from tlie concolorous cheeks and clypeus, which latter is apically 

 black and subspiuously produced ; mandibles stout and piceous, 

 with their apices darker. Antenna', obsoletely pilose, nearly as 

 lung as the body, filiform, with the flagellum of about thirty 

 elongate and cylindrical joints, those of the apical third sub- 

 attenuate and more discrete ; black, with the central nine joints 

 and more or less of the scape dull testaceous. Thorax very stout, 

 gibbous, not broader than the head, hardly longer than high, 

 discally scabriculous and laterally finely p"unctate; mesonotum 

 anteriorly vertical, willi coarse "recumbent hairs aiid distinct 

 though short notauli ; metanotum with the areola and postero- 

 intermedial areoe testaceous, remainder black ; areola confluent 

 with both basal and petiolar areic, emitting strong costula3 ami 

 long acuminate apo])hyses ; spiracles obliquely linear and not 

 large. Scutellum coarsely punctattj and dull, feeblv convex, black, 

 witii its lateral and apical margins carinate and, like the hardly 



