SAPYGA CLAVICORNIS. 51 



Sapyga punctata, Nyland. Ap. Boreal. 25. 1. 



Wesm. Hym. Foss. Bely. 25. 1. 

 Hellus sexpunctatus, quadriguttatus, et pacca, Fabr. Syst. Piez. 



247. 1,3&6. 

 Sapyga quadripunctata, Panz. Faun. Germ. 87. 20 $ . 

 Sapyga decemguttata, Jurine, Hym. 160. t. 9. f. 13 $ . 

 Sapyga sexpunctata, Latr. Nouv. Diet. ed. 2. p. 30. 179. 

 Sapyga varia, St. Fary. SfServ. Enc. Meth. x. 338. 1. 



Gue'rin, Icon. Rey. Anim. Ins. 432. t. 69. f. 11 $ . 



Female. Length 3^-5^ lines.— Black ; the head and thorax 

 coarsely punctured ; the antennas piceous beneath ; a white 

 spot on each side of the clypeus at its base, another above it, 

 and a line along the lower portion of the emargination of the 

 eyes. Thorax : the collar with a white line on each side at the 

 verge of the truncation ; wings slightly coloured, their extreme 

 apical margins with a narrow fuscous border, the nervures 

 black. Abdomen punctured, the second and third segments 

 red, their apical margins piceous ; sometimes the apical margin 

 of the first segment red; a transverse ovate white spot on each 

 side in the middle of the fourth and fifth segments, the first 

 pair largest ; the sixth with a large white spot in the centre. 



Var. /3. The clypeus immaculate. 



Male. Length 4-5 lines. — Black ; the clypeus white ; the fourth 

 and ninth joints of the antennae yellow beneath ; the tibiae with 

 a yellow spot at their base above, one or more of these spots 

 frequently wanting. Abdomen : a transverse white spot on 

 each side in the middle of the second and three following seg- 

 ments, those on the second and fifth frequently more or less 

 obliterated, or entirely so ; beneath, a transverse white line on 

 each side of the third and fourth segments. 



This is an abundant species in many localities ; it appears 

 about the end of May, and is usually to be seen running on 

 palings, rails, &c, particularly if any of the wood-boring bees 

 frequent them, such as Chelostoma or Osmia, doubtless in search 

 of some ready-formed burrow suitable for its own purposes. It 

 is not uncommon about the metropolis ; I have taken it in York- 

 shire, Kent, Hants, &c. ; it occurs also in Devon, near Exeter, 

 and is, I suspect, very generally distributed. 



2. Sapyga clavicornis. 



S. nigra; abdomine fiavo-fasciato. Mas et Fazm. 



Apis clavicornis, Linn. Faun. Suec. 419. 1686 $ ; Syst. Nat. i. 953. 

 Scolia prisma, Fabr. Mant. i. 282. 21 ; Ent. Syst. ii. 236. 31. 



d 2 



