226 Mr. E. Saunders' Synopsis of 



1. Psithyrus rupestris, Fab. (PI. XI., fig. 8). 



Fab., Ent. Syst., ii., p. 320 ; Smith, Cat. Brit. Hym., 

 2nd ed., p. 22l" 



Black, clothed with black hairs ; hairs of the three apical seg- 

 ments in the ? and of the four in the (? red. Thorax and basal 

 segments of the abdomen often more or less grey in the ? ; wings 

 dark brown, with blue reflections in the 5 . 



(? . Head clothed with black hairs ; cheeks between the eyes 

 and mandibles about as long as wide ; mandibles bifid at the apex ; 

 antennae with the 2nd and 4th joints of the flagellum subequal, the 

 3rd a little more than half the length of the 4th ; 4th and 5th sub- 

 equal. Thorax punctured, clothed with long black hairs, often with 

 a band in front, and the sides below the wings and the metathorax 

 posteriorly more or less grey ; wings brownish. Abdomen clothed 

 with black hairs on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd segments, and with red 

 on the rest ; the hairs of the apical margins of the basal segments 

 and their sides often grey ; beneath punctured, genital armature 

 with the sagittse hamately toothed beneath ; the squama with a 

 long process on its inner margin ; lacinia very long, and angularly 

 produced inwards at the base, fringed with long hairs, as also the 

 stipites on their inner margins (see PL XI., fig. 8) ; tibiae and 

 tarsi clothed with reddish hairs. 



$ . Larger than the 3' , deep black ; wings dark brown with 

 bluish reflections ; apical segments bright red. Legs clothed with 

 black hairs ; apex of the metatarsi and the apical joint of the tarsi 

 clothed with short reddish hairs. Length, 16 — 22 mm. 



Hab. Common in many localities, and widely distri- 

 buted, living with Bomhus lapidarius. 



2. Psithyrus vestalis, Fourcr. (PL XL, fig. 7). 



Fourcr., Ent. Par., ii., p. 450 ; Smith, Cat. Brit. Hym., 

 2nd ed., p. 221. 



Black ; thorax with a broad yellow band in front ; both sexes 

 with the apex of the abdomen white fi-om the 4th segment, and 

 with some yellow hairs on the 3rd, separating the black base from 

 the white apex ; posterior metatarsi almost as wide as the tibiae ; 

 sagittae of 3" genital armature not toothed beneath. 



(? . Head densely clothed with black hairs ; antennae with the 

 •8rd joint of the flagellum rather shorter than the 2nd; 4th about 

 as long as the 2nd and 3rd together ; 5th slightly shorter than the 

 4th. Thorax densely clothed with black hairs, and with a broad 

 bright yellow band in front ; wings smoky brown. Abdomen 



