252 



mediate between the two main Spboeralcea broods. Both old and 

 yonng hii'va> were found at this time; likewise two of the flies. The 

 leaves of the plants were reduced to skeletons where attacked. 



This occurrence was of much interest, as we had before us the begin- 

 ning of a new invasion of the hollyhock from the Sphteralcea; and 

 judging from what has before happened in like cases, we can readily 

 appreciate the possibility of the pest spreading eastward and becom- 

 ing a source of trouble in gardens. 



The imago I considered, after some examination, to be a new species 

 of Schizocera. It seemed judicious, before publishiug, to submit an 

 examjile to Mr. 0. L. Marlatt, who now writes me that it "appears to 

 belong to Andre's genus Nematoneura, which is very closely allied to 

 the genus Schizocera." He adds that there is only one known species 

 of Nematoneura, and that is European, so my insect is undoubtedly 

 new. I have not access to the original diagnosis of I^ematoneura, 

 but the species now under consideration is separable from Schizocera 

 by the fact that the second submarginal cell receives both recurrent 

 nervures instead of only one. 



The question must naturally arise whether Nematoneura malva- 

 cearunij as I call our species, is really congeneric with the European 

 Nematoneura in a genealogical sense. It is certainly a fact that genera 

 of sawrties have been founded to some extent artificially, so that it 

 may be the case that two so-called congeneric. species have originated 

 independently from. ancestors not exhibiting their now "generic" char- 

 acter by similar variation. This would seem the more probable, since 

 the food-plant of our species is of Southern or Sonoran distribution, not 

 by any means boreal ; and, although the midalpine and Northern Ameri- 

 can TeuthredinidiB have been rather- extensively collected, no Nemato- 

 neura has been found among them. I should like to ascertain more 

 exactly the relationship of our speccies to the three species of Ptenus, 

 which Norton has described, from Texas. These belong to the same 

 sub-region of North America, and form, with our insect, the whole of its 

 hylotomme fauna, so far as 1 have been able to definitely ascertain. 



Thejfollowing descriptions, though not very elaborate, will doubtless 

 amply suffice for- the recognition of the insect: 



Nematoneura malvacearum u. sp. 



Imago 9 . — 8i"'™ loug; anterior wing 7A, antenna 2i """ long. Stoutly built; bead, 

 wings, and legs black ; tborax and abdomen orange-rod. Head not so broad as thorax, 

 shining black, crown appearing slightly rufous in some .lights. Ocelli prominent, 

 the anterior one but little anterior to the posterior (lateral) ones. Clypeus with 

 some short, pale pubescence. Face with a descending ridge between the antenn;B. 

 Distance of autenute from each other slightly less than distance of either from the 

 nearest eye. AntennteS-jointed, black; first joint about as broad as long; second 

 decidedly broader than long; third very long, forming the greater part of the 

 autennte. Thorax and abdomen shiny orange-red ; under side of thorax black. End 

 of ovipositor-sheath trifid, black, hairy. Anterior tibia- with two about equal spines : 

 posterior tibi;e spined ; anterior tarsi with the first joint longer than 2 -f 3 + 4, and 

 the fifth (last) joint about as loug as 2 -f 3 + 4. Wings black, venation strong; 



