AXDREMD.E. 193 



of two or three species of Ilalitui^ are almost similarly 

 banded with red, they are more hairy insects, and less 

 shining. Spheeodex has the labriim longer than in Ralictus , 

 the rest of the mouth parts being almost identical with 

 those of that genus ; the membranous bag that invests the 

 base of the cibarial apparatus is peculiarly developed, and 

 its surface is clothed with transverse rows of very short 

 bristly hairs, the sclerites of the hypopharynx are double 

 on each side, and a strengthening scleritj passes from the 

 base of the outer one diagonally down the side of the in- 

 vesting membrane; at the poiut where the sclerites of the 

 hypopharynx unite with the membrane at the base of the 

 maxilhe two or three bristly hairs appear, which probably 

 represent the " scales " so clearly represented at the base 

 of the maxillae of the higher Apidx ; maxill® rounded at 

 the apex, palpi six-jointed, cardines very long, lora absent, 

 their duties probably performed by two chitiuized straps on 

 the membrane which unites the cardines and which extends 

 to just above the base of the submentum, with which they 

 are connected by a membrane, submentum short and trans- 

 parent, labial palpi with four cylindrical joints, tongue short", 

 ovate, antennas in the ^ with the joints submoniliform in 

 most of the species. Head and thorax black, sparsely 

 pubescent, generally shining, the latter very largely punc- 

 tured ; wings with three submarginal cells, hooks on the 

 anterior margin of the hind wing affording good divisional 

 characters ; abdomen subelongate in the S ,subelliptic in the 

 $ , shining, generally black and red, rarely entirely black 

 or red, S armature very characteristic ; tibiae without a 

 patella, spiuose along the outer margin and S|)arsely hairy 

 ? , simple in the (^ except in spinulosui, in which they have 

 spines, somewhat as in the ? . 



The various species of this genus are very closely allied ; 

 the males can all be distinguished for certain by reference 

 to the form of the armature, but tiie females of some of the 

 small species are exceedingly dillicult to make out. 'I'he 







