SAPYGA CLAVICORNIS. 51 



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



Wesm. Hym. Foss. Belg. 25. 1. 

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



247. 1,3 & 6. 



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

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

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

 Sapyga varia, St. Farg. 8f Serv. Enc. Meth. x. 338. 1. 



Guerin, Icon. Reg. Anim. Ins. 432. t. 69. f. 11 $ . 



Female. Length 3|-5J lines. Black ; the head and thorax 

 coarsely punctured ; the antennae 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. j3. 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 flavo-fasciato. Mas et Fcem. 



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

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



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