SPHEX. 



247 



463. Sphex maurus, Smith, Cat.'w, p. 255, $ J; Kohl, Ann. Naturhist 



Hofmus. Wien, v, 1890, p. 411, ? J. 

 Sphex tyrauuica, Binqh. {nee Smith) Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. v 

 1890, p. 241. 



2 6 • Head and thorax in front pruinose, and sparsely pubes- 

 cent ; median segment lightly transversely rugulose ; abdomen 

 smooth and shining, very huely longitudinally aciculate ; clypeus 

 vertically oval, convex, sparsely punctured ; a vertically impressed 

 line on the front from between the base of the antennae to the 

 anterior ocellus ; back of the head emarginate ; pronotum flat 

 above, slightly indented in the middle ; scutellum, postscutellum, 

 and median segment furrowed down the middle ; the median 

 segment steeply rounded at apex, almost truncate, the median 

 furrow not reaching the edge of the truncation, but broadening 

 out in spoon-shaped form just before the margin; legs stout, 

 the tibiae and tarsi spinose ; petiole of abdomen short ; abdomen 

 broadly subfusiform. Black, w ith black pubescence : the uings dark 

 fuscous, with a rich purple effulgence ; nervures and tegulse black. 

 Hab. Burma, Tenasserim, and the Malayan region as far as 

 Celebes. 2 • Length 28-34 ; exp. 50-58 mm. S . Length 25-28 ; 

 exp. 48-52 mm. 



464. Sphex aurifrons, Smith, Jour. Linn. Soc. 1859, p. 157 ; Kohl, 



Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, v, 1890, p. 439. 



$ d" . Closely resembles S. nigripes, Smith, but is a sHghter, 

 more graceful insect ; the clypeus is not so convex, and has its 

 anterior margin waved, not arched, with two short blunt teeth in 

 the midlde ; the head aud thorax in front finely and closely 

 punctured ; the pronotum with its posterior margin entire, not 

 longitudinally suicate ; the median segment not abruptly truncate 

 or steeply sloped at apex, finely rugulose and covered with a soft 

 thin pubescence ; legs long, rather sparsely spinose ; petiole of 

 abdomen rather longer than in S. nigripes ; abdomen finely aci- 

 culate. Black, the clypeus and sides of the face with a short dense 

 rich golden pile and scattered loug fulvous hairs ; the pubescence 

 on the thorax fulvous red ; legs with the femora, tibiae, and basal 

 four joints of the tarsi red ; abdomen black, with the apical 

 margins of the segments above and below broadly testaceous 

 brown ; wings light flavo-hyaline, the apical margins paler ; 

 nervures and tegulae testaceous. Varies in having the abdomen 

 also covered with a thin short fulvous pile. 



Hah. Sikhim ; Aru Islands. $ . Length 21-24 ; exp. 34-40 mm. 

 <S slightly smaller. 



465. Sphex luteipennis, Mocs. Magyar Akad. Ert. Term. Ivor, xiii 



(1883), sz. 11, p. 33, 2 ; Kohl, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, v, 

 1890, p. 423. 

 Sphex rufipeunis, Kohl {nee Fabr), Term. Fiizetek. ix (1885), 

 p. 198, 2 6- 

 2 ' Head and thorax in front finely and rather sparsely 



