SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCHE. 



[September 1S95. 



Las Ci-uces, N. M., 13th Ma^-, 1895. (Miss 

 Jessie Casad, no. 296.) Taken on mesquite. 



I had described this as a distinct species, 

 but after prolonged consideration I believe it 

 to be but a varietal form of P. nitidella Ckll. 

 In typical nitidella the median excursion of 

 the yellow does not extend to the middle 

 ocellus, while in the variety it may be said to 

 do so, the interval between its upper border 

 and the ocellus being scarcely observable 

 with a strong lens. In nitidella the incur- 

 sion of the blue terminates in a right angle, 

 whereas in the variety its termination is 

 much more acute. Other differences will ap- 

 pear to any one comparing the descriptions. 



Typical nitidella was taken in September. 



Perdita punctosignata, n. sp. — $ about 

 44 mm. long. Head moderately broad, 

 vertex minutely roughened, not punctate. 

 Cheeks beneath with sparse hairs. An- 

 tennae yellow; tip of scape, funicle, and 

 flagellum except last two joints, brown 

 above. Head, including face and cheeks, 

 entirely dull yellow except a broad transverse 

 black band stretching from eye to eye on 

 vertex, and enclosing the two lateral ocelli ; 

 a black basi-occipital band connected with 

 that on vertex in median line; and a con- 

 spicuous black spot close to the anterior 

 orbit about as far above level of insertion of 

 antennae as length of scape. The yellow of 

 the face becomes paler downwards, the 

 labrum being rather whitish. 



Thorax bright lemon yellow, with two 

 broad black bands extending backwards frotn 

 near the anterior margin of the mesothorax 

 to the metathorax, where they meet; making 

 the whole of the dorsum of metathorax black 

 except a couple of yellow spots in the median 

 line near its anterior border. The dorsum 

 ofscutellum and post-scutellum are broadly 

 greenish-yellow. Tegulae hyaline. Wings 

 hyaline, nervures pale, stigma hyaline with 

 a brown inargin, third discoidal excessively 

 indistinct. Legs all yellow, except a brown- 

 ish shade behind middle tibiae, and a still 

 stronger shade on hind tibiae and a slight 

 brown spot at end of hind femora. 



Abdomen yellow with sepia bands; first 

 segment mostly sepia, with an interrupted 

 yellow band and yellow anterior border; 

 second and third segments each with a 

 narrow proximal and a broad distal band, the 

 latter narrowing suddenly before lateral 

 margin; fourth segment similar, but the 

 distal band narrower; fifth segment with the 

 bands becoming obscure, or at least the 

 distal one. Venter all yellow. 



Hab. Close to the Agricultural College, 

 Las Cruces, N. M., 13th May, 1895, on 

 mesquite. (Miss Jessie Casad, no. 297.) 



By the face-makings, this might be con- 

 founded with P. martini Ckll., but the 

 yellow thorax with broad longitudinal bands 

 will at once separate it. 



III. A MUTILLID WHICH RESEMBLES ThISTLE-DOWN. 



Sphaerophthalma gloriosa Sauss., var. 

 nov. pseudopappus. — $ about 13 to 16 mm. 

 long, entirely dull black, clothed with very 

 long pure white hairs. The long hairs on 

 the dorsum of the second segment of abdo- 

 men are about 5 mm. long. The first 

 abdominal seginent widens gradually to the 

 second, and isdorsally bare, with white hairs 

 at base and apex. 



Hab. Las Cruces, New Mexico, in June. 

 One also on September 6. Mr. Fox knows 

 it also from Arizona and California. 



I have never seen typical gloriosa, in 

 which the body color is reddish, but Mr. Fox 

 assures me that the present insect is but a 

 variety of it. It is, perhaps, rather a sub- 

 species, for I have now seen about 8 speci- 

 mens, every one of them black. A specimen 

 of 5. sackenii, collected in California, and 

 sent to me by Mr. Wickham, is very 

 different. It is larger, the hairs have a 

 yellowish tinge, and the pubescence on the 

 legs, venter, etc., is black; whereas in 

 pseudopafpui all the pubesence is white. 



