POLISTES. 397 



bright reddish brown ; the margins of the clypeus, the inner orbits 

 up to the sinus of the eyes, the anterior and posterior margins of 

 the pronotum narrowly, the tegulae, three spots on the pleurae, the 

 scutellum and postscutellum anteriorly, two rather broad vertical 

 streaks on the median segment posteriorly, and the posterior 

 margins somewhat broadly of the Ist-oth abdominal segments 

 yellow ; wings light brownish hyaline, the subapical fuscous spot 

 in the fore wing in all the specimens I have seen either absent or 

 faintly marked. 



Var. Some specimens are darker, with the ground-colour dark 

 brown or fuscous black. 



Bah. Sikhim ; Assam; Tenasserim ; Java. g. Lenf/th 11-13 ; 

 exp. 26-31 mm. Saussure gives the Javan g : — Length 16 ; exp. 

 38 mm. ; the Indian forms seem to me much smaller. 



692. Polistes assamensis, n. sp. 



^ . Head and abdomen finely silky, impunctate, except on the 

 clypeus, where there are a few fine scattered punctures ; pronotum, 

 mesonotura, scutellum, and postscutellum closely, finely punctured, 

 granular; median segment vertical, with a broad furrow down the 

 middle, and rather coarsely transversely and regularly striate. 

 Keddish brown ; the anterior and lateral margins narrowly, the 

 posterior margin broadly, and a line down the middle of the meso- 

 notum, the anterior margin narrowly of the median segment, and 

 a broad medial irregular streak on the mesopleurse, the metapleurae 

 and sides of the median segment, the anterior coxae behind, the 

 intermediate coxae, trochanters and bases of the femora, the 

 posterior coxae, trochanters, femora, tibiae, and base of the 1st 

 joint of the tarsi, the base of the 1st abdominal segment broadlv 

 and of the 2nd narrowly, black ; the lateral posterior margins of 

 the pronotum very narrowly, the tegulae, the tarsi of the legs, and 

 broad anteriorly arched sublunate marks in the middle of the 

 posterior margins of the 2nd-5th abdominal segments, dull yellow, 

 getting brighter towards the apex of the abdomen ; the apical 

 segment entirely yellow ; wings deep ferruginous hyaline. 



Var. The abdomen entii'ely reddish brown. 



Hah. JVCargherita, Assam (Doherty) ; Sikhim. g . Length 12-14 ; 

 ex}). 26-28 mm. 



693. Polistes adustus, n. sp. 



g . Head and thorax finely and closely, abdomen more sparsely 

 punctured, the punctures on the head and abdomen shallow^ and 

 indistinct on the thorax, in front deeper, giving the surface a 

 granular look ; median segment sulcated down the middle, on the 

 sides and posteriorly coarsely transversely striate ; clypeus strongly 

 convex, pentagonal, the apex bent downwards ; scutellum and post- 

 scutellum transversely rectangular, prominent, the latter somewhat 

 broader in the middle. Black ; the clypeus, the scape of the 

 antennae, an abbreviated line behind Ihe eyes near the vertex, the 

 pronotum, except a large triangular patch on the sides, the tubercles, 



