MONOGRAPH OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PliOCTOTRYPID.E. 33 



A well-defined fjenus, but the males easily coi fused with Epyris. 

 The more stronjfly developed venation, the distinct, rhomboidal dis- 

 coi<lal i-ell, the transverse medial nervure beinj? always oblique and 

 not so much curved as in Epyris; the 4 distinct mesonotal jjrooves, 

 coarser sculpture, and the leas distinctly swollen femora will, however, 

 readily distinjjfuish the genus. The females have fre<iuently been mis- 

 taken for those of otlier genera, but the (iharacters given in the table 

 readily separate them. Many species described under the genus 

 Scleroderma belong here. 



Mocsary's work "Magyar Fauna, etc.," in which this genus is placed 

 with the Sapygidai as a subfamily Pristocerina', I have uot been able 

 to sec. 



The species in the United States are uot numerous, but two being 

 known to me, separated as follows: 



Ft^males wingless 2 



Males vringed. 



Black ; the head coarsely rugose, with large punctures. 

 Large, 10-11""".; flagellar joints at apox uioro or less serrate.. P. atka King 



Moderate, 7-8"'™.; flagellar joints at apex uot serrate P. armifera Say 



2. Large, 7 to 8">'". Rufo-piceons, the abdomen paler, the head and thorax 

 with coarse scattered punctures. 



Mandiltles 4-dentate P. ATRA Klug 



Smaller, 1""". Rufo-piceons, the abdomen darker, smooth, shining, impunc- 

 tured. 

 Mandibles 3-dentate P. armifkpa Say 



Pristocera atra King. 



(Pl.ii,Fig8.i, c?; 2, 9.) 



Web. n. Mohr Beitr. zur Natnr ii, 202, <? ; Westw. Thes. Ent. Oxon., p. 163, pi. 



XXXI, f. 5; Cress. Syn. Hym., p. 247. 

 Scleroderma thoracica Westw., Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., ii, p. 167, 5 ; Cress. I. c. 



S . — Length 10 to 11"". Black, shining, punctate, sparsely covered 

 with a white pile. Head quadrate, coarsely reticulately punctate. 

 Mandibles black. Palpi piceous. Ant-ennae 13-jointed, very long, 

 longer than the head and thorax together, tapering toward tips, the 

 flagellar joints about four times as long as thick, truncate at tips and 

 slightly produced toward one side, appearing somewhat serrate. Col- 

 lar rather short, rounded before, rugose and hairj'^. Mesonotum smooth, 

 with some scattered punctures and 4 parallel grooved lines. Meta- 

 thorax rugose, with raised lines and a slight median carina; the raised 

 lines at base are short, longitudinally directed, those beyond transverse 

 and irregular. Abdomen ovate, depressed, subpetiolate, highly 

 polished, black, shorter than the thorax, and with a deep longitudinal 

 furrow at base. Wings fusco hyaline, the costa and stigma black, 

 the other nervures brown ; the stigma is somewhat ovate, the second 

 basal cell (submedian) is a little longer than the first, the first discoidal 

 cell distinct, while two other discoidal cells are plainly discernible by 

 water-colored nervures. 



21899— No. 45 3 



