ODYNERUS MELANOCEPHALUS. 205 



sticks, from which, in the following season, I bred this rare 

 species. It proved to be new to science, and was described by 

 Mr. W. Shuckard in ' Loudon's Magazine,' with a detailed account 

 of its development as observed by myself ; since that period I 

 have obtained two or three specimens from sticks collected at 

 Hampstead. Mr. Walcott has frequently bred it from bramble- 

 sticks collected near Bristol. 



6. Odynerus melanocephalus. 



O.niger; abdomine albo-fasciato ; antennis subtus ferrugineis ( ? ); 

 autennis subtus flavis, apice nigricantibus ( <J ). 



Vespa melaiiocephala, Gmel. ed. Syst. Nat. i. 27G0. 96 $ . 

 Vespa albo-fasciata, Rossi, Faun. Etrus. ii. 143. 870. 

 Vespa spinipes, Oliv. Encycl. Meth. vi. 687. 87 $ . 

 Odynerus melanocephalus, Wesm. Mon. Odyn. Belg. 12. 3. 



Sauss. Mon. Guepes Sol. 224. 132. 



St. Farg. Hym. ii. 610.3. 

 Pterochilus dentipes, Herr. Schaff. Faun. Germ. 173. t. 3 ? . 

 Pterochilus tinniens, Herr. Schaff. Faun. Germ. 6. t. 16<J . 

 Oplopus melanocephalus, Wesm. Mon. Odyn. Belg. Supp. 2. 3. 



Female. Length 4| lines. — Black; head and thorax shagreened, 

 the abdomen very smooth and shining ; the anterior margin of 

 the clypeus very slightly emarginate. A spot between the 

 antennae, the scape in front, a minute dot behind the eyes, and 

 an interrupted line on the prothorax, yellowish white ; the fla- 

 gellum fulvous beneath towards its base ; the tegulae and legs 

 reddish yellow, with the coxae, trochanters, and base of the 

 femora, black ; the wings fulvo-hyaline, and slightly fusco-fer- 

 ruginous anteriorly. Abdomen : the margins of the first four 

 segments narrowly bordered with white, the second slightly 

 widened laterally. 



The Male differs in having the clypeus, labrurn, and mandibles 

 yellowish white, the flagellum more brightly fulvous beneath, 

 and the spiral joints rufo-fuscous ; the clypeus deeply emargi- 

 nate ; the fascia on the prothorax not interrupted ; the anterior 

 and intermediate coxae with usually a yellow spot in front, and 

 the intermediate femora tridentate beneath ; the fifth and sixth 

 segments of the abdomen with a narrow white fascia, more or 

 less abbreviated at the sides. 



This is a very local species ; it occurs at the back of the Isle 

 of Wight, and in the neighbourhood of Bristol. 



