84 WHEELER —VERMILEO COMSTOCKI. 
summer months. I take pleasure in dedicating the insect to 
Prof. Comstock, who first called attention to its extraordinary 
larval habits. 
Vermileo comstocki, sp. nov. 
Female. Length 5.5 mm. 
Head from the front nearly twice as broad as high, in profile as long as 
high. Face narrow, about one sixth as broad as the head, rapidly widening 
upward, longitudinally convex in the middle below. First antennal joint 
a little longer than broad, second slightly broader than long, terminal joint 
small, subspherical, slightly acuminate, with a long apical arista which 
tapers only at the tip and is very finely and indistinctly pubescent. Palpi 
subcylindrical, subtruncate at the tip. Proboscis fleshy, half as long as the 
height of the head. Thorax short, seen from above nearly square, behind a 
little broader than the head. Scutellum somewhat flattened. Abdomen as 
broad as the thorax and nearly three times as long, with nine distinct seg- 
ments; the tergites convex transversely near their posterior borders, the 
intersegmental membranes well developed so that the tergites are distinctly 
separated from one another. Wings rather short, narrowed and without 
alule at the base. Venation very similar to that of V. degeeri, but the two 
branches of the third vein are somewhat longer and less divergent and the 
posterior branch is not so close to the fourth vein. The discal cell is as 
broad at the base as at the apex and the anal cell is much more widely open. 
Fore and middle legs rather short and slender, hind legs considerably longer 
and more robust; fore tibize with only a single spur, middle and hind tibie 
each with two prominent spurs. Tarsal claws small, pulvilli very minute. 
Eyes dull olive green; antenne and palpi black; proboscis pinkish, with 
delicate white hairs; face and remainder of head densely gray pollinose. 
Occipital portions of head with numerous short black hairs. These become 
longer and whitish towards the mouth. Thorax covered with the same 
gray pollen as the head, but paler on the pleure; the dorsal surface with a 
pair of narrow median, and a pair of broader lateral, brownish, longitudinal 
stripes, the former not reaching the scutellum. Hairs lacking, except on the 
anterior dorsal surface, where they are black and very short. Abdomen 
with shining black, non-pollinose dorsal and ventral sclerites, the interseg- 
mental and lateral membranes being subopaque and dull pink. Legs, in- 
cluding the cox, of the same color, indistinctly whitish pollinose, the tarsi 
infuscated towards their tips. Tibie and tarsi, especially the middle and 
hind pairs, with numerous minute black hairs. Wings uniformly gray, with 
blackish veins. 
The type is in the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy. 
