121 



footnote on page 104 of volume one of his Three Expeditions 

 into the Interior of Eastern Australia and reads as follows : 

 Genus, Vespa; subgenus, Abispa; species Ahispa Austral tana 

 (uiihi). 



Head, antennae, and feet yellow ; eyes black ; the scutellum of pro- 

 thorax yellow ; the scutum of mesothorax black ; with the scutellum 

 yellow ; the scutum of the metathorax yellow, with the scutellum 

 black and the axillae yellow. The wings yellow, with dusky tips. 

 The first segment of abdomen has the petiole black. The second seg- 

 ment is black and the rest yellow. 



It is clear that the interpreting "the scutellum of the 

 prothorax" as the pronotum, '^scutiim of metathorax" as the 

 metanotum, "'scutellum" of the same as the superior face of 

 the propodeum, and the '"axillae" as the posterior lateral angles 

 of the propodeum and allowing a little inaeuracy in the state- 

 ment that the second abdominal segment is black, we have a 

 reasonably close description of Abispa austral is Smith. 



It is especially to be noted that Mitchell does not use the 

 name in the text. 



It seems clear that the stinging insect mentioned in the 

 text is PoJistes tepidus (Fabricius), but it seems equally clear 

 that the insect described in the footnote is Abispa australis 

 Smith and that accordingly we must retain the name A/) is pa 

 for tlie genus of Australian Eumenid wasps in preference to 

 Saussure's Monerobia. 



In Delia Torre's Catalogue an error has crept in in citing 

 Abispa cphippium Mitchell. There is no such combination to 

 be found in the work indicated. Smith has given the same 

 erroneous reference. Both are doubtless based on Saussure's 

 supposition that austraUana is identical with ephippium. There 

 is, however, no reason to supj^ose this is the case. 



The syuouymy then may read : 

 Abispa Mitchell 1838. 



= (Monerobia Saussure) 1852. 



^Polistes Meade Waldo) 1911 uec Latreille. 



Ty])e Tf'spa (A/jispa) nnsfraliana .A[itchell 1838. Mono- 

 l)asic. 



