144 CRABRO SCUTATUS. 



Crabro scutatus, Fabr. Mant. i. 296. 15 < ; Ent. Syst. ii. 298. 16 ; 

 Syst.Piez. 312. 19. 



Panz. Faun. Germ. 15. 22. 



Van d. Lind. Obs. ii. 44. 5. 



Shuck. Foss. Hym. 129. 3 <J ? . 



/Wt/d. #yw. .Euro;?, i. 329. 216. 



Wesm. Hym. Foss. Belg. 135. 13. 

 Vespa scutata, Gmelin, Syst, Nat. \. 2763. 116. 

 Sphex palmaria, Schreb. Naturf. xx. 100. 6. t. 2. f. 9 <? . 

 Crossocerus scutatus, St. Farg. Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. iii. 764. 1 ; Hym. 

 iii. 168. 1. 



Male. Length 3-3^ lines. Black, shining, sparingly punctured; 

 an impressed line in front of the anterior stemma, extending to 

 the base of the antennae, another between the steimnata, not 

 extending beyond them ; the scape yellow, with a narrow piceous 

 stripe above; the inner orbit of the eyes and the clypeus 

 covered with silvery pubescence ; the clypeus yellow, with a 

 central longitudinal carina ; the mandibles and lower portion of 

 the cheeks yellow, with their tips ferruginous. Thorax deli- 

 cately punctured ; the metathorax having a cruciform consute 

 impression and a transverse line curving upwards and enclosing 

 a shining subcordiform space, which is obliquely striated at the 

 lateral edges ; the posterior portion of the metathorax smooth, 

 shining, and sometimes very delicately transversely striated ; 

 the mesosternum armed on each side at its apex with a minute 

 tooth ; a transverse line on the collar, the tubercles, a large 

 lunule below, the neck beneath, the pectus, and the scutellum 

 in front, yellow; wings iridescent, slightly coloured towards 

 their apex, the nervures piceous; the legs yellow, with the 

 anterior tibia3 dilated into an ovate concavo-convex plate, 

 covered with short white pubescence, yellow on its anterior 

 margin, its anterior apex with a dark lunule, posteriorly pale 

 and transparent ; the first joint of the tarsi dilated into a 

 narrow black lobe, the apical joint piceous ; the intermediate 

 femora and tibiae piceous within ; the posterior coxae black at 

 their base, the femora black ; the tibiae black above, except at 

 the base; the tarsi piceous, with the base of the first joint yellow. 



Female. Length 4 lines. This sex wants the yellow colour on 

 the cheeks, neck beneath, and on the pectus ; the base of the 

 coxae, the trochanters, and femora are black ; the apex of the 

 coxae fuscous; the scutellum is black, the post-scutellum yellow; 

 two or three of the basal joints of the tarsi are pale ; in other 

 respects like the male. 



This is a very local species. It is occasionally found in various 

 localities in Kent, as Birch and Darenth Woods, settling on the 



