56 P. CAMERON. 



10. Bemhex maldivensis, sp. nov. 

 Long. 17 mm. 



Hab. Goidu, Goifurfehendu Atoll, Hedufuri, Mahlos Atoll, and Hulule, Male Atoll, Mal- 

 dives. 



Belongs to Bingham's Section A, and comes near orientalis and borreri. $. Antennae 

 entirel}' black. Head densely covered with long, white hair, the clypeus also with silvery 

 pubescence, the edge of the pronotum narrowly, the labrum and the mandibles to the 

 teeth, pale yellow. Thorax densely covered with silvery pubescence ; the prothorax, except 

 behind, two narrow lines on the centre of the mesonotum, two broader, shorter, almost 

 united, transverse ones near the apex, the apex and sides of the scutellum, the apex of the 

 post-scutellum ; a broad curved line on the centre of the median segment ; the sides broadly 

 from near the middle, the base of the mesopleurae, the mark dilated at the top so as to 

 enclose the tubercles, a large vertical mark in the centre, which becomes gradually wider 

 from the top to the bottom, a smaller, more irregular mark on the apex behind, a crescent- 

 shaped mark on the metapleurae behind the spiracles and the apex broadly — the mark 

 below extending backwards beyond the middle — sulphur-yellow ; legs yellow ; all the coxae 

 and trochanters ; all the femora broadly in fiont and behind ; a line on the fore tibiae 

 behind and a shorter one in front, black ; the spines on the fore tarsi are long, stout, 

 and, except the basal one, black. The basal joint of the fore tarsi is not very broad, 

 and becomes graduall}' narrowed, but not much, towards the apex ; the second becomes 

 gradually narrowed, on the outer side from the base to the apex, which is transverse and 

 three times the width of the base ; the two following ai'e smaller and are not so broad 

 at the apex compared with the base. The basal abdominal segment is broadly black at 

 the base and apex ; the two bands are united in the centre by two black marks which 

 become gradually narrowed towards the apex ; the apices of the second, third, and fourth are 

 broadly black ; the black bands dilated backwards in the middle, and have, at their base, 

 two black marks, which are broader than long ; the fifth segment is black, with the sides 

 broadly yellow ; the sixth is entirely black, with its sides straight. The ventral segments 

 are black, except the first and second at the sides of the apex ; the yellow marks there 

 are obliquely narrowed towards the apex. 



The cf is similarly coloured ; the clypeus is pale yellow, black at the base and with 

 a broad band on the apex ; the seventh joint of the antennae is slightly dilated near the 

 apex ; the eighth has a stout tooth, which becomes gradually raised from the ba.se to the 

 apex ; at the apex is a small one ; there is a blunt basal and a smaller, sharper apical 

 one on the ninth ; the tenth is broadly dilated behind, as is also, to a less extent, the 

 eleventh. The middle femora are serrate beneath ; the joints of the foi-e tarsi are not so 

 much dilated, especially towards the apex ; the spine on the second ventral segment is 

 larger than usual ; its downward length is distinctly greater than its length at the base 

 and it is curved and slightlj' hooked at the apex. The pygidium is sparsely and distinctly 

 punctured on the sides ; the epipygium becomes gradually raised in the middle to shortly 

 beyond the centre of the segment, there curves downwards, the top slightly projecting. 

 The last joint of the hinder tarsi is thickly fringed at the base with stiff longish spines, 

 which being longer at the base and apex of the fringed part give it an incised ap- 

 pearance. 



