POLISTES. 



395 



Hah. India {Smith) ; Sikhim {Moller) ; China {LarUng). $ . 

 Length 27-30 ; exp. 65 mm. d . Length 30-37 ; ea-p. 68-88 mm. 

 ^ . Xeji^fZi 21-24 ; exp. 62-65 mm. 



687. Polistes sulcatus. (PI. Ill, fig. 3.) 



Smith, Trans. Ent. Soc. new ser. ii, 18o2, p. 38; Sauss. Mon. 

 Guep. Soc. p. 59, 2 (S • 



2 ^ . Closely allied to and resembling P. schach, but constantly 

 smaller than the smallest variety of that species ; the head and 

 thorax are more closely punctured, with the punctures shallow 

 and giving the surface a granular look, those on the pronotum uot 

 running into striae as in P. schach ; in colour also P. sulcatus seems 

 pretty constant, all the specimens I have seen being castaneous- 

 brown, ^dth the mesonotum, scutellum, postscutellum, median 

 segment, pectus, and the whole of the sides of the thorax black ; 

 wings hght, rather fulvous brown. 



(5 similar ; the clypeus and inner orbits yellowish. 



Hah. Eangit Valley, Sikhim ; China. $ . Length 19-20 ; exp. 

 48 mm. ^ . Length 11 -Id ; exp. 42-45 mm. 



6SS. Polistes hoplites, Sauss. Mon. Guep. Soc. pp. 55 & 255 ; Smith, 

 Cat. v, p. 102. 



2 . Closely resembling P. Sagittarius, but constantly larger and 

 the thorax much more coarsely punctured and rugose. 1 know no 

 other distinction, and it is quite possible that P. Sagittarius is but 

 a smaller form of P. hoplites. This latter is a rare insect ; I have 

 only seen one or two specimens of it. 



Hah. India {Saussure, Smith) ; Burma. $ . Length 23-24 ; 

 exp. 54-56 mm. 



689 Polistes Sagittarius, Sauss. Mon. Guep. Soc. p. 56 ; Smith, Cat. 

 y, p. 102. 

 2 or ^ . Head, pro- and mesonotum, scutellum, postscutellum, 

 pro-, meso-, and metapleurae rugosely punctured, granular, in 

 certain lights looking as if irregularly striate ; median segment 

 transversely striate, coarsely on the sides and posterior angles 

 and fine in the middle, down which there is a broad sulcation ; 

 abdomen pruinose, with a silky appearance. Black or deep reddish 

 brown: the black varieties have the scape and flagelluin of the 

 antcnnJB beneath and the apex of the clypeus, the cheeks, the pro- 

 notum anteriorly, and the scutellum reddish brown ; the reddish- 

 brown varieties have the scape of the antenna? lighter, the flagellum 

 very dark almost black, a transverse stripe between the eyes on 

 the vertex, the mesonotum except a reddish-brown oval patch 

 anteriorly, the median segment, and intermediate and posterior 

 legs black; abdomen in both varieties \\'ith the basal two (some- 

 times only the 2nd) segments yellow, the 1st segment more or less 

 black at base ; wings brown, ferruginous on their apical margins. 



