( 602 ) 



densitj' of the pubescence qnite conceals the sculpture, and gives the insect a most 

 fnnereal appearance. 



Alastor harterti n. sp. ?. 



Alastor (Antalastor) magnitmline prorsus innsitata — (long. corp. circa 15 mm. 

 lat. al)(lom. 3 mm.) — niger, uberriine flavo- et nonnusquam aurantiaco- vel etiam 

 rufo-inetu.s. Clypens acute bideutatus, longitndiue sua sesquilatior. Pronotum in 

 medio subproductum, lateribns rotundatis, vi.x angulatis, ne([uaquam spinulosis. 



Black, with the following parts yellow : — 



Mandibles, labrum, and mouth-parts. Base of clypeus (widely); between its 

 base and the black apex the clypeus is rufescent A tubercle between the anteunae. 

 The three basal joints of the anteunae. The sinuses of the eyes — the yellow ex- 

 tending upwards a little beyond the actual sinus. Almost the entire tempora 

 behind the eyes. 



Pronotum, tegnlae, and a spot on the episteriium of the mesothorax. 

 Scntellnm, postscutellnm, and sides of propodeum. Legs, except part of the coxae. 



The whole first abdominal segment, except the middle part of its declivous 

 base. A very broad apical fascia produced in the centre and more still at the sides 

 (trilobate) on each of the following abdominal dorsal-plates except the last, which 

 seems to be entirely black, and simihirly shaped, but narrower fasciae at the apices 

 of the second and third ventral-plates (the base of the second ventral, before its 

 crenate impression, is testaceous). 



The head and thorax (especially at the sides and beneath) and the abdomen 

 beneath is clothed fairly densely but not conspicuously (except in the lateral view) 

 with silvery sub-erect hairs. The pilosity on the dorsal surface is much shorter and 

 less noticeable. 



The very large tegulae, and also the base of the clypeus, a tuberculation 

 between the antennae, the truncated apex of the postscutellnm, and the middle 

 (triangular) area of the propodeum, are smooth and shining ; elsewhere the body 

 is closel)' and for the most part rather strongly punctured. 



The size and colour of the insect, and the very different form of the pronotum, 

 at once distinguish this Alastor from afropos Lep., etc. The c? of a large Egyptian 

 species has been figured but not described by Savigny {liescr. de l' Eg. PI. ix. 

 Fig. 16), and I have taken what I believe to be two JcJ of Savigny's species in 

 Egypt. (Saussure appears to refer to this insect by the name savignyi, vol. iii. 

 p. 328, but he does not expressly say so ; he gives no description, and the name 

 does not appear in his Indices, and is ignored in V. DaJla Torre's Catalogue.) 

 It is possible that Savigny's S and Harterti ? may prove to belong to a single 

 species. The clypeus of the latter is, however, very much more transverse ; and 

 on the whole, though they resemble each other strikingly in size and distribution 

 of colour, I do not venture without more evidence to unite them. (In both my 

 Egyptian c? 3 the yellow markings are very pale, almost lacteous, and show no 

 tendency to rufescence ; whereas in Harterti the markings are deep yellow aud in 

 places almost orange-coloured. Possibly the differences may be sexual, bnt I do 

 not think this likely. Or they may be local, or even individual, but this is mere 

 guess-work. When Algerian cj c? and Egyptian ? ? are discovered, the question 

 may be definitely settled one way or the other !) 



