B22 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. V, 
vary somewhat in the amount of yellow and ferruginous color present, 
especcially on the abdomen where the spots gradually enlarge to become 
bands, and the bands on the posterior segments are much broader. The 
dorsum of the median segment and the first and second segments of the 
abdomen gradually become ferruginous until they are practically all of 
that color. The writer thinks that perhaps this variation which is 
possibly in the direction of either ridingsii or lecontet, indicates the rela- 
tionship of the three species, especially as all the specimens of flavocos- 
talis seen were males. It is probable that more material will throw 
light on this subject. 
The above specimens are all males all taken in New Mexico, 
except one from Texas and one from Kansas. They measure 
between 10 and 15 mm. in length. 
Four other specimens have been studied, a female and three males, 
which starting with the more typical flavocostalis, vary toward a blacker 
body color and a reduction of yellow. One specimen has the body 
black except for a slight tendency toward ferruginous on the venter of 
the abdomen. The coxe, trochanters and a small part of the femur 
next to the body are black. The tarsi and tarsal claws are dark ferru- 
ginous. The dorsum of the fourth segment of the abdomen has two 
yellow spots and the fifth segment has an obscure, interrupted, apical 
yellow band. One specimen has no yellow mark behind the eyes and no 
yellow on the fifth abdominal segment, with the body color practically 
all black except a slight tendency to ferruginous at the edges of the 
sclerites. Much more of the femur is black than in the other specimen. 
The female specimen has the mandibles except the tips, an obscure 
streak behind the eyes, the dorsum of the prothorax and the dorsum of 
the first abdominal segment ferruginous. The legs are nearly all ferru- 
ginous with a blackish tendency on the basal segments. The dorsum 
of the second and third abdominal segments have spots and the fourth 
and fifth have narrow yellow apical bands. The head in the above 
specimens except for the slight yellow marks spoken of, is all black. 
These four specimens were all collected in Texas. The 
female measures about 11 mm., the males 9 to 11 mm. in length. 
Some of the last described specimens came very near to 
Say’s tricincta (Western Quarterly Reporter Cincinnati, II, 
1823, p. 74, n. 2), and the writer does not agree with Cresson in 
placing tricincta under nobilitata but thinks further studies will 
probably place it somewhere in the above range. If this is 
correct, then flavocostalis will ultimately fall as a synonym of 
tricincta or become a subspecies of it. 
