CRABRO ANXIUS. 133 



11. Crabro anxius. 



C. niger ; metathoracis basi laevi ; metasterno denticulate ; ab- 

 domine ovato-conico. 



Crabro exiguus, Shuck. Foss. Hym. 174. 32 (nee Van d. Lind.). 



Dahlb. Hym. Europ. i. 326. 214. 

 Crabro anxius, Wesm. Hym. Foss. Belg. 137. 16. 



Female. Length 2-2J lines. Black ; bead smooth and shining, 

 with scattered minute punctures ; an oblique smooth depression 

 on each side of the posterior stemmata, with a longitudinal 

 impression between them extending a little beyond, and another 

 in front of the anterior one extending to the face, which is 

 canaliculated, smooth and shining ; the scape yellow in front ; 

 the inner orbit of the eyes and the clypeus (which is carinated 

 in the centre) covered with a dense silvery pubescence ; tips of 

 the mandibles rufo-testaceous ; the palpi pale. Thorax shining, 

 finely punctured ; the mesothorax has two central parallel im- 

 pressions which extend to the disk, with an abbreviated one on 

 each side of them ; the subcordiform enclosed space at the base 

 of the metathorax smooth and shining, with a central longi- 

 tudinal incisure, the impression enclosing the space consute ; 

 the posterior portion of the metathorax smooth and shining, 

 the lateral margins with raised ridges ; the mesosternum with a 

 minute tooth on each side behind ; the collar with sometimes 

 a yellow spot on each side ; the tegulae testaceous ; the base of 

 the wings, which are hyaline and iridescent, yellowish, their 

 apex slightly clouded beyond the middle, the nervures piceous ; 

 the anterior and intermediate tibiae in front, and a ring at the 

 base of the posterior ones, yellow ; the tarsi rufo- piceous, with 

 their basal joint pale ; the anterior pair slightly ciliated, the 

 tibiae spinose. Abdomen elongate-ovate, smooth and shining ; 

 the margins of the posterior segments piceous, the tip of the 

 apical one ferruginous. The thorax beneath and the sides of 

 the abdomen with a fine silvery pubescence. 



The Male differs in usually wanting the yellow spots on the 

 collar; the intermediate femora with a yellow stain beneath, 

 and the yellow ring at the base of the posterior tibiae smaller ; 

 the four "anterior tarsi piceous ; the posterior pair sometimes 

 entirely black, occasionally pale at their base. 



M. Wesmael, from an examination of the typical specimen 

 described by Van d. Linden, proves that Shuckard's insect 

 cannot be the C. exiguus, and for which he proposes the name 



