STELIS. 497 



on the cubital nervure, tlie 2nd cell receiving the 1st recurrent 

 nervure near the base, the 2nd recurrent nervui'e joining the 

 cubital nervure beyond the apex of the cell ; legs slight, without 

 pubescence. Abdomen broad, very convex above, strongly curved 

 downwards ; the female not provided with a pollen-brush. 



SteUs is parasitic on Osmia in Europe. Nothiug is known of 

 the habits of the two Indian species. One of these, 'S'. comuta, I 

 have placed in the genus Stelis with much doubt. In the shape of 

 its head and, above all, in the remarkable horned mandibles it 

 differs considerably from typical forms of that genus. 



Key to the Sjjecies. 



a. Mandibles normal, not produced at base S. parvula, p. 497. 



b. Mandibles at base produced into a prominent 



triangular tooth S. comuta, p. 497. 



880. Stelis parvula, Cam. Mem. Manch. L. Th. Soc. xli, 1897. 



c? . Head, thorax, and abdomen closely and coarsely punctured, 

 somewhat thickly pubescent, the pubescence longer and most 

 dense on the head in front and the sides and front of the pro- 

 notum ; mesonotum with an obscure median longitudinal furrow ; 

 abdomen longer than the head and thorax, strongly convex above. 

 Black ; the pubescence hoary, snow-white on the clypeus and face 

 in front; the posterior lateral angles of the scutellum, a spot at 

 the base of all the tibiae, a broad border to the tegulae, a more or 

 less lengthened spot on each side of all the segments of the abdo- 

 men, with a second similar inner spot on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th 

 segments, dull whitish yellow ; antennae fulvous brown beneath ; 

 wings hyaline, nervures testaceous. 



Hab. Barrackpore. <S . Length 4 ; e.V2). 8 mm. Type in coll. 

 Eothney. 



A true Stelis, the abdomen not toothed at apex, with the 

 markings of Anthrdium. 



881. Stelis comuta, n. sp. 



5 . Head and thorax finely and very closely, abdomen more 

 minutely and densely punctured ; clypeus much broader than 

 high, transverse, its anterior margin straightly truncate, with a 

 square emargination in the middle ; mandibles very long, massive, 

 the base with a recurved projecting strong triangular tooth ; the 

 apex of the mandible minutely trideutate. Black ; the mandibles 

 on the outside except at base and apex, the clypeus broadly along 

 the apical margin, an elongate mark between and a little above 

 the base of the antennae, a bi'oad stripe along the inner orbits 

 reaching very nearly to the top of the eyes, another broad stripe 

 on each cheek continued along the posterior margin of the vertex, 

 a snake-like mark forming a double loop on the mesonotum, the 

 scutellum, an abbreviated stripe on the anterior and intermediate 

 femora behind and on the posterior femora in front, and transverse 



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