52 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



Epeolus helianthi Rob. 



Epeolus helianthi Robertson, Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 7 : 344. $ . 1897. 

 £. — Agrees so closely with female that it does not require 

 separate description. 



Epeolus bifasciatus Cr. 



Epeolus bifasciatus Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil. 3: 38. <^. 1864. 

 <j>. — Does not require description because of close resem- 

 blance to male. 



Carlinville, Illinois; 14 5, 37 $ specimens. 

 There is a large tubercle on each side of front. 



Epeolus pusillus Cr. 



Epeolus pusillus Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil. 2: 398. $ . 1864. 



Epeolus pusillus Fox, Ent. News 3: 29. tf. 1892. 



? Epeolus mercatus Fabricius, Syst. Piez. 389. 1804. 



This seems to be the best guess for E. mercatus. Cresson 

 credits E. pusillus to Mass. and N. H., and Fox captured it 

 in New Jersey. Cresson' s argument does not hold against 

 E. pusillus, for he had evidently forgotten it when he wrote : 

 " This [_E. cressonii Rob.] is probably the true mercatus, 

 although the very short description given by Fabricius will 

 apply quite as well to several other species, not found, how- 

 ever, east of the Mississippi River." f Fox captured E. com- 

 pactus in New Jersey, but this is a little larger, has the legs 

 darker and is probably less abundant. 



Melissodes comptoides, n. sp. 



$. — Black; head clothed with pale pubescence, except on 

 the vertex where it is long, fulvo-ochraceous and usually 

 mixed with black in front; flagellum testaceous beneath; 

 mandibles rufous in middle, at apex with an orange streak, 

 often reduced or wanting ; pubescence of thorax above thick 

 and fulvo-ochraceous, on the sides pale, beneath fuscous or 

 black ; legs with pubescence largely black or fuscous, mixed 

 with ochraceous on femora and tibiae above, anterior tarsi 

 fulvous beneath ; scopa fulvo-ochraceous, hind metatarsus 

 with black pubescence beneath; base of abdomen with pubes- 



t Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. 7 1 88. 1878. 



