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Melittobia hawaiiensis sp. nov. [Hymen.] 



BY E. C. L. PERKINS. 



Black, or brownish black, the thorax with a faint aeneous 

 reflection, the head and thorax also faintly metallic. The 

 mandibles are reddish and the scape of the antennae is more or 

 less pale, sometimes clear yellow, at other times only more or 

 less obscurely brown in dried specimens. The tibiae and tarsi 

 are yellow, the femora dark, or at least more or less sordid. In 

 fresh specimens the ocelli are enclosed in a pale ring, and the 

 eyes pale-margined, while there is a pale median line on the 

 face, furcate above and below, forming an elongate X-like 

 mark. The mesothoracic sutures are mostly pale, as also the 

 parapsidal furrows and the scutellar grooves. In dry speci- 

 mens generally all these pale markings disappear. Head con- 

 vex in front in fresh examples, but collapsing altogether in dry 

 ones; the antennae with elongate scape, widening to the apex, 

 and about as long as the pedicel and funicle joints together, the 

 pedicel obconical and longer than the first funicle joint, the 

 latter not differing much from the two following, and trans- 

 versa on their widest faces, the club ovate, twice as long as its 

 greatest width, about equal to the three funicle joints together, 

 and with a spine at the apex. Thorax with very short hairs 

 and very minutely punctured, the propodeum smooth and 

 shining and with a median groove. Abdomen usually sub- 

 parallel-sided in dry specimens and elongate, being about as 

 long as the head and thorax together or rather more. Length 

 rather more than 1mm. Wings evenly dotted with short hairs 

 and with short marginal fringe; the marginal vein with two 

 rows of long and some shorter setae. Male quite unlike the 

 female, blind and with very different antennae, which are 

 9, not 8-jointed. Color, yellow or brown, sometimes more 

 or less darker in parts, the apical joints of the antennae more 

 or less black. Scape very large, subtriangular, and about as 

 long as all the other antennal joints together; it is concave 

 beneath and some of the following joints are usually with- 

 drawn into the concavity, which is partly closed by the in- 

 curved sides, pedicel laminate and often entirely hidden be- 

 neath the scape, first funicle joint triangular, very narrow at 

 the base, second and third not differing much from one an- 

 other, both being wide, fourth very short and transverse, club 

 three-jointed, the funicle joints are set with longish setae. 



