Longicom Coleoptera of Tropical America. 127 



Phespia, nov. gen. 



Antennce brevc», gi-adatim iucrassatae ; articiilo tertio cylindrico, 

 quarto et quinto trigouis, sexto usque decimum quadrato-dilatatis, 

 perfoliatis, nullo modo serratis. Thorcuv lateribus regularitcr ro- 

 tundatus, supra convcxus. Elytra abbreviata, gradatim attenuata, 

 apice acuminata, sutura prope apicem biantia, supra vitta exteriore 

 subhyalina. Abdomen brevissimum, vespiforme. Pedes subgra- 

 ciles ; femora |)edunculata, versus apicem clavata ; tlbite posticse 

 apice scopiferae. Caetera ut in gen. Odontocera. 



A genus formed for the reception of a small number of species, 

 differing in the form of the antennee and elytra too much from 

 Odontocera and Acypltoderes to be united to either. The en- 

 larged antennal joints are not serriform, but almost equally 

 dilated on each side, so as to form a quadrate or thick cylin- 

 drical figure ; and the elytra are subuliform, in quite a dif- 

 ferent way from the same members in Acyplioderes^ Istlimiade^ 

 Bjjhecomorjjhaj or m* Odontocera in the few species which as- 

 sume this form. They are narrowed almost from the base, 

 most so on their outer side, by which, when closed, the sides 

 of the metasternum and abdominal segments are visible from 

 above ; along the suture they are straight until near the apex, 

 whence they taper obliquely and each forms a point at its apex : 

 above, the vitreous stripe runs obliquely from the shoulder, 

 and is interrupted by a dark bar before the apex. The abdo- 

 men is relatively very short, not much longer than the meso- 

 and metathorax together. In general appearance the species 

 mimic the species of the Cerceris group of solitary Avasps. 



The genus is no doubt closely allied to Tomopterus. 



1. Phesjyia cercerina^ Bates. 

 Odontocera cercerina, Bates, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1870, p. 325. 

 R. Amazons. 



2. Phespia stmulans, n. sp. 



Ph. cercerince similis, at elytris longioribus ; fulvo-brunnea vel nigro- 

 fusca ; capite thoraceque nigris, tibiis posticis fero a basi dense 

 fusco-nigro birsutis. Long. 4-5| lin. 5 . 



Novo Friburg, E,io Janeiro, and Prov. Parana {coll. Dr. 

 Baden and W. W. Saunders). 



Larger than Ph. cercerina. Head blackish, with stripe of 

 golden pile down each side of the forehead and round the eyes. 

 Antenna black, reddish at the base ; sixth to tenth joints 

 thick, cylindrical, compact. Thorax closely but indistmctly 

 punctured, black ; anterior and posterior margins golden pu- 

 bescent. Scutellum golden pubescent. Elytra longer than in 



