114 MELLINUS SABULOSUS. 



and the palpi yellow ; the flagellum fulvous beneath ; sometimes 

 a yellow spot at the base of the mandibles. Thorax closely and 

 finely punctured; the metathorax with a rugose ovate space at its 

 base, which is enclosed by a horseshoe-shaped frame, which is 

 delicately punctured and shining, beyond which it is rugose ; 

 the collar, tubercles, tegulae in front, and the scutellum, yellow; 

 the wings hyaline, the nervures, and tegulae behind, testaceous ; 

 the legs yellow, the coxae, and femora at their base, more or less 

 black ; the anterior tibiae with a dark spot behind, the inter- 

 mediate and posterior tibiae ferruginous within ; the anterior 

 tarsi ciliated, the intermediate and posterior tibiae spinose. 

 Abdomen shining, finely punctured ; the first segment with a 

 yellow spot on each side at its apex, and sometimes a third in 

 the centre, but all frequently obliterated ; a broad yellow band 

 occupying the second and three following segments, except their 

 margin, seldom interrupted in the second, but usually with two 

 minute black dots in the centre of its base, the fourth generally 

 broadly interrupted, more frequently reduced to a small ovate 

 transverse spot, with its margin testaceous. 



Male. Length 3J-6 lines. The clypeus and a line at the 

 inner orbits of the eyes, the mandibles, scape in front, as well 

 as the palpi, yellow; the thorax with yellow spots on the coxae, 

 and another on each side of the pectus, the legs more stained 

 with ferruginous ; the yellow band on the second segment of 

 the abdomen usually interrupted, or entirely obliterated, that 

 on the third segment sometimes interrupted or subinterrupted ; 

 an ovate spot on each side of the fourth segment, frequently 

 very small, rarely wanting ; a narrow central transverse abbre- 

 viated line on the fifth, and an abbreviated transverse irregular 

 spot in the centre of the base of the sixth segment, the margins 

 of the fifth and sixth, and the apex of the apical segment rufo- 

 piceous. 



Var. /3. The fifth segment sometimes entirely black, and the 

 sixth yellow, with a black spot on each side. 



One of the most abundant fossorial insects in the country, 

 found in most sandy situations. The yellow spots and bands 

 which adorn it are very variable in size arid shape. 



2. Mellinus sabulosus. 



M. niger; abdomine fasciis tribus flavis, priuiis duabus interruptis, 

 pedibus ferrugineis. 



Crabro sabulosus, Fabr. Mant. i. 296. 17. 

 Oliv. Encycl. Meth. vi. 515, 19 . 



