Aculeate HymcnoipteTa in Oxford Museiim. 543 



covered with silky pale yellow hairs. There are besides many scat- 

 tered whitish yellow erect liairs on the head posteriorly, on the sides 

 of the median segment, on the basal segment of the abdomen, and 

 on the apical three or four ventral segments. Abdomen above with 

 two large rounded spots transversely on the 2nd segment and broad, 

 medially broadly interrupted, bands of silky short white pubeseiice 

 on the 3rd and 4th segments. Wings fuscous the terminal margins 

 broadly and costa narrowly of the forewings darker fuscous. Head 

 densely punctured, much broader than long, but much narrower 

 than the thorax anteriorly, the face flat, slightly concave, not much 

 developed behind the eyes, obliquely rounded. Mandibles and 

 clypeus highly polished, smooth, the former acute at apex with a 

 strong inner preapical tooth ; eyes elongate strongly emarginate on 

 the inner side above ; antennae opaque, 2nd and 3rd joints subequal. 

 Thorax massive anteriorly, the pro- and mesonotum and scutellum 

 closely and coarsely punctured, the tegulae smooth and shining ; 

 mesonotum with three longitudinal short carinae, the middle carina 

 the longest, and a deep longitudinal groove on either side, these 

 grooves not extended to the anterior margin of the mesonotum ; 

 scutellum with a short longitudinal carina raised into a tubercle at 

 apex ; median segment coarsely reticulate, the sides sharply carinate, 

 the posterior face sloping to the apex ; wings : forewing with three 

 cubital cells ; legs without spines. Abdomen subsessile, coarsely 

 punctured, the 2nd segment with a central smooth unpunctured 

 highly polished area. 



Length $ \1 mm. Exp. 33 mm. 



Resembles in colouring Mutilla purpurata, but the 

 markings on the abdomen are quite different, and more- 

 over it belongs to a different genus or subgenus. 



33. Dasylabris nyctimene, Peringuey. 



Mutilla nyctimene, Per., Ann. S.A. Mus., i, 1898, p. 91 $. 

 Dasylabris nyctimene, Andre, Wytsman's Gen. Ins. Hym., 

 Fasc. 11, 1903, p. 67. 



Rhodesia : Mashonaland, Salisbury 5000 ft. $ {G. 

 Marshall.) 



34. Dasylabris mephitis, Smith. 



Mutilla mciMtis, Sm., Cat. Hym. B.M., iii, 1855, p. 21 $. 

 Dasylabris mephitis, Andre, Zeits. Hym. Dipt., 1901, 

 p. 312 ?. 

 Natal : Durban $ {F. Muir). 



