AKT. 1 AMERICAN WASPS OF THE GENUS SCELIPHRON POETEE 7 



smooth, and no more than slightly sericeous except toward the pos- 

 terior end, where it is sparsely hairy and punctate. 



Legs: Anterior four; coxae black; trochanters black with a yellow 

 apical ri"m on the posterior and inner side ; femora black proximally, 

 yellow distally; tibiae yellow; tarsi yellow at base, the outer seg- 

 ments becoming fuscous. Hind legs: Coxae black; trochanters 

 usually black, rarely fuscous or ferruginous, with a yellow apical 

 rim on inner side ; femora black ; tibiae yellow basally, black distally ; 

 tarsi yellow at base, the outer segments becoming fuscous. Coxae 

 and trochanters of all legs sparsely hairy ; entire surface of legs more 

 or less sericeous ; tarsal claws fuscous to ferruginous, with a minute 

 tooth near the middle on the inner surface; spines on legs varying 

 from yellow to fuscous. 



Wings : Transparent with a yellowish to fuscous tinge ; outer mar- 

 gins slightly infuscated; larger veins yellowish ferruginous to 

 fuscous ; wings often with a slight violet or purple reflection. 



Male. — Differs from female as follows : Slightly smaller, abdomen 

 shorter and less acute; teeth of clypeus more pointed. Genitalia 

 figured in Figures 16, 17, and 18. Tips of uncus curve first down- 

 ward and slightly outward, then taper abruptly and recurve nearly 

 vertically again. 



Length. — Female, 17 mm. to 26 mm. ; male, 13 mm. to 23 mm. 



Habitat. — North, Central, and Insular America, and also reported 

 by Kohl from Tahiti and Honolulu, and by Cameron from Brazil. 

 There are definite records from as far north as Quebec and Van- 

 couver, and from as far south as the Barbadoes and Costa Rica. 



Types. — The only type known to be in existence is that of Smith's 

 canade7isis, in the British Museum, where it Avas seen by Doctor Fer- 

 nald in 1913. 



This species seems to come closer to assimile and figulu?)i than any 

 other American species. Scelipkron caementanujii always has at 

 least the basal half of the hind tibiae and the basal two segments of 

 the hind tarsi yellow ; while assmiile and iigulum have the hind legs 

 almost entirely black or fuscous, the tibiae having a slight yellow 

 streak beloAv basally, and the two or three basal segments of the 

 tarsus sometimes becoming yelloAvish. Also, with -figulmiv the teeth 

 of the clypeus of the male are very elongate and narrow^ which is 

 not the case with ca^mentari'mn^ The male genitalia of caemenr 

 taHu7ii are distinct from those of asdmile and fguluin-. 



It has already been mentioned that the amount of yellow present 

 in this species is very variable. This has led to its description under 

 a number of different names, some being designated as distinct spe- 

 cies and others as varieties or subspecies. With a large series of 

 specimens, taken from many parts of America, it has been possible 



